Change of Heart
by Gentizm
Summary: Saya won't stand for seeing her old childhood friend abused by those he held most dear to his heart. She'll do her best to remind him that there is life after Rei. Summer is coming fast. Could the rekindling of an old friendship lead to something unexpected?
1. Chapter 1

**Change of Heart**

**Summary**: Saya won't stand for seeing her old childhood friend abused by those he held most dear to his heart. She'll do her best to remind him that there is life after Rei. Summer is coming fast. Could the rekindling of an old friendship lead to something unexpected?

* * *

**That damned summer day…**

Deep down, he should have seen this coming. The way she always complained to him and kept him in the dark at the same time. Every time it came down to him not understanding her situation, or at least that is what she told him. Had he really been so blind to all of this? He rubbed his temples, gathering his thoughts. Everything made sense now.

It didn't make him feel any better though. Perhaps his hesitant attitude towards the matter had a part in all this, but it still hit him like a freight train. For him it wasn't even a question whether he loved her or not, there was no doubt about it. The childhood promise they made so long ago was something he held dear to his heart. Should he not have taken the promise of marriage for granted even if they were just kids when they made that pinky swear? It never occurred to him that she might have wanted to hear him confess his love for her some time around. To him, it was something that didn't needed to be uttered.

To her, obviously, it hadn't been enough.

* * *

**OoO**

After another heated argument earlier that week, she hadn't talked to him in two days. It was Thursday and she asked him to come see her after their last class. He was happy that she wanted to see him again and it was obviously displayed on his face. While he had Hisashi and Morita to spend his time with these past two days, he couldn't ignore the fact that he missed her. And so after his last class he quickly made his way to the place they'd usually meet. The roof of the administration building, out of sight and earshot of many.

What he encountered however, abruptly changed his happy state of mind.

As he came closer to the walkway leading up the roof, he noticed two figures standing on the fourth floor walkway. From what he could see it was Hisashi and another, a girl from what he could make out from afar. They were hugging each other close and seemed intimate. As Hisashi turned his body away slightly he could now see who the girl was and… it was Rei.

A wave of confusion crashed down on him. His pace slowed downed until him came to a stop. He was staring down at the ground beneath him as if unable to look up again. 'What is the meaning of this?' he thought to himself while clenching his fists as his feelings of confusion became mixed with those of anger. 'No. Hisashi is my best friend. I must be imagining things.' Shaking his head left and right he continued his path to the roof of the administration building.

When he reached the staircase leading up to the roof he saw Hisashi coming down the first floor. His face wore a frown and he was unable to turn it into a smile as his best friend came face to face with him. Hisashi seemed somewhat surprised by his presence from what he could tell from his facial expression. However, it didn't seem to faze him as he turned his expression into a smile and greeted his pal with great spirit.

"Hey Takashi! I thought you were already on your way to the dorms. What brings you here?"

Still unable to smile he looked his friend straight in the eyes with an intense look. "I can ask you the very same thing, Hisashi. I was on my way to see Rei." For some reason, Takashi felt every muscle in his body tense up when Hisashi's smile turned to a more serious expression.

"Ah, I see. That explains why Rei wanted to talk to me again." As the words spilled from Hisashi's mouth, Takashi couldn't help getting even more tensed up by the word 'again'. As his right hand slowly curled up into a fist Takashi did everything he could to restrain himself from relieving Hisashi of some of his teeth.

Sighing, Hisashi placed his left hand on Takashi's right shoulder and lowered his gaze for a moment before returning it to face Takashi. "I think it's best that you go talk to Rei." With those words he averted his gaze and walked past him. His face showed a regretful expression, and after a few steps he came to a stop. "Listen to her, Takashi. It is all I ask for." With that he continued towards the dorms leaving Takashi behind to calm his angered mind.

Takashi took several deep breaths before he started his ascent towards the roof. Every step seemed to increase in difficulty as he climbed the staircase. He opened the door that lead to the roof and saw Rei standing near the railing looking into the distance. She had a calm expression on her face as she stood there with her hands on her back. Slowly she turned her head towards Takashi and sighed. With his hands in his pockets he tried to keep his facial expression neutral.

"We need to talk, Takashi." Rei said. She fully turned to him and placed her arms across her chest. Her eyes looked heavy as she stared at him.

Clearing his mind of what he had seen earlier he responded with a small smile. "Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

As she turned her head away and frowned, she answered. "I've decided to date Hisashi."

At that very moment he felt his heart being torn apart. Words could not describe the pain he felt flowing from his chest to every part of his body. Mixed feelings of confusion, anger and sadness washed over him. 'Why?' Was the sole question that raced through his mind. With a look of utter defeat on his face he looked at her. He raised his hands and placed them on her shoulders.

"Why?" was all that left his lips. She then turned her head back to look Takashi in the eyes and swatted his hands away from her.

"Because Hisashi understands me!" she nearly yelled. "Hisashi is there for me when I need him!"

Takashi was struck back at what just transpired. He looked at his now shaking hands. "But…"

"We are done." Rei interrupted. She marched past Takashi and towards the door leading to the staircase. Without another word she opened the door and headed down leaving Takashi alone and abandoned on the roof. He felt his world came crashing down on him as his knees buckled sending him to the ground.

* * *

**OoO**

Friday morning arrived and Saya surveyed the classroom in search for Takashi. She found it odd that Hisashi, Morita and Imamura were all present yet Takashi was not. Normally he would arrive with either of those three, but now he was nowhere in sight. While it wasn't uncommon for him to arrive alone, it was however rather suspicious that both Morita and Imamura were in class before he was. Annoyed due to his absence, Saya turned her attention to Hisashi, who seemed to be deep in thought. 'Something isn't right here, but I can't figure out what.' she thought to herself. Morita and Imamura didn't seem any different from any other morning. 'Come on! You're a genius! You should be able to figure this out!' Yet, nothing came to mind.

Class was well underway and Takashi remained absent. Saya couldn't concentrate on the teacher's explanations and once more turned her attention to others in class. From what she could tell, even Morita seemed to wonder why Takashi wasn't around. Imamura on the other hand didn't seem to care at all about who was or wasn't in attendance. Hisashi however, still seemed to be deep in thought about something other than the class lecture. That much was certain. Every now and then he would look out the window and sigh as if trying to solve a puzzle. 'Perhaps something happened between Takashi and Hisashi,' Saya thought to herself. 'But then again, why would Takashi avoid class just because of that. He doesn't sit next to him and he still has his other friends if that were to be the case.' She let out a sigh herself. "Where is that idiot?"

When the bell signaled the end of class Saya was still trying to figure out why Takashi hadn't shown himself today yet. She berated herself for not being able to come up with an answer, she was after all a total genius. There was the possibility that Takashi was ill, but since he seemed in such high spirit the day before she wrote that off her imaginary list. Perhaps the idiot overslept and didn't dare to show his face. 'Yes! That must be it! That idiot probably spend all night playing games and doing perverted stuff!' Saya's face turned slightly red when thinking about that last part.

She shook her head violently as if trying to shake away her thoughts and stood up from her desk rather rashly. Several of her fellow classmates were slightly startled at her sudden reaction. Yet they quickly resumed their chatter when realizing it was most likely Saya having a bad mood. Which, according to many, she had plenty and especially when Takashi wasn't around. He was after all her only real friend around campus. She knew Rei and Hisashi, since they were both heavily associated with him, but simply didn't bother to make any other friends. Often creating the image of a mean, arrogant, self-centered girl. It didn't stop the guys from going after her though, but that was most likely due to her looks or the fact that she came from a rather influential family. She didn't give any of them even a second glance when they once again attempted to confess to her or tried to ask her on a date. They were idiots, all of them. She grabbed her study material and stashed it in her bag. With firm steps she left the classroom and made her way to the school courtyard.

It was lunch break and Saya decided that instead of worrying about Takashi's whereabouts, she would find a quiet spot to eat her meal before her moment of peace would be disturbed. If Takashi wasn't in the next class she could always go and find him herself. It's not that she needed to listen to what the teachers had to say about their respective classes. With all her self-studies, and of course her brilliant mind, she was simply being an example student. She looked across the courtyard and found an empty bench on the far side. As she walked towards her destination she passed several small groups gossiping about various subjects and topics. Things like the latest fashions seemed to reach her ears, but she paid little attention to such matters. Hearing which boy had the cutest face or the firmest butt didn't interest her one bit. There was one name that seemed to spike her interest.

"Did you hear what happened to Komuro?" One of the girls close to where Saya was walking said to her friends.

"You mean their argument last Tuesday?" A girl opposite of her replied.

"No, no," the girl answered while waving her hands in front of her. "I mean what happened yesterday after school." Saya slowly came to a stop to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Well? What happened?" The third girl asked looking at her friend with raised eyebrows.

"I heard Komuro got dumped by Miyamoto," as Saya's ears received the information her eyes went wide open.

The other girls faces lit up "So that means Komuro is single now! Do you think he would want to go to the movies with me!" Listening to their banter about whether Takashi would or wouldn't want to go anywhere with either of them really brought out the worst in Saya.

"Shesh! Would it be so bad as to show some pity for him," Saya whispered to herself. Though deep down she too felt slightly glad. It would mean that Takashi would spend less time with Miyamoto, something she was envious of since elementary. They had been together since they were kids and even though Miyamoto was a year older she always seemed to get his attention. It was something that annoyed her to no end.

"What happened?" That question brought her back from her inner thoughts.

"They say Miyamoto was making out with Igou near the administration building." Saya's jaw dropped when hearing this. She knew Miyamoto for a long time, but she would never have expected her to cheat on Takashi. Even if they weren't officially dating, their relation was obviously more than just close friends.

Saya closed her eyes and clenched her fists in anger. 'I shouldn't believe the rumors spreading across the academy.' She then thought back on earlier that very morning 'Yet, it could explain why Takashi wasn't in class and why Hisashi was so absent minded. Did Takashi see them making out?' She placed her hand on her chest as she felt a slight sting.

"No way! Igou is Komuro's best friend! He wouldn't do that to him, right?" The gossip continued.

Without so much as a second thought Saya changed her course and headed to where she had last seen Hisashi Igou. She was determined to find out the truth behind those rumors. She couldn't rely on what she heard just now without confirming it at the source.

As Saya made her way back towards the place she had last seen Hisashi she couldn't help but notice that Takashi and Rei's breakup seemed to be the biggest topic around. Furiously she marched past the bothersome males who most likely intended to make another confession to her. Slapping away their hands as she continued her path "I'm not interested!"

The boy caressed his slapped hand and said, "She's so hot when she's all mad!"

"You're just a masochist, aren't you?" His friend next to him said while laughing at him.

"I can't help myself,"

"Idiots!" Was all that Saya could say as she left them far behind her looking for her prey.

Arriving at the academy's cafeteria, she couldn't find the grey-haired student anywhere. She was certain to have spotted Hisashi heading towards the cafeteria. Though that was already ten minutes ago, by now Hisashi could be everywhere. "Where would Hisashi most likely go during lunch break? Normally he would hang out with Takashi, but without him around that is obviously out of the question. And then there's the possibility that the rumors about him and Rei could be true." Moving her hand through one of her ponytails, she gently stroked her hair while continuing her train of thought. "Of course! Rei! He would go to Rei without a doubt. If the gossip were to be false, he would surely seek her out to clear the misunderstandings circling the academy. And if not…" Saya criticized herself for not thinking about such a simple matter. She had seen several of the girls from Rei's class before entering the cafeteria.

After asking several of Rei's classmates she finally got a lead as to where Rei had gone off too. With renewed vigor she made her way towards the gymnasium. She didn't have much time left before lunch break was over and so she increased her step just a bit more. As she turned the corner of the building blocking the view to the gymnasium she was stunned by what she saw. In front of her, next to the gymnasium, two individuals were embracing each other firmly. Saya couldn't believe her eyes as she looked at Rei and Hisashi. They were too into the moment to notice her looking at them both. Anger rose within her as she kept her eyes on the couple.

"How could you do this to him?!" She demanded as she clenched her fists.

* * *

_A/N: This idea for a story has been in my head for nearly a year now and I've finally started to write it down. The story begins before any of the events in the manga/anime and will most likely take its own course. I hope the lot of you will enjoy reading it._

_Special thanks to __**BelleDayNight**__ for assisting me as my Beta. She's a fantastic writer and I would definitely recommend to read her 'Resolve of the Undead' HotD story!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Change of Heart**

**Chapter 2:**

* * *

Hisashi made his way to his designated classroom. 'I haven't seen him leave the dorms this morning. Perhaps he went on ahead of me,' he thought. As he walked through the hallway, several girls were gossiping and pointing fingers at him. It added to the already uncomfortable feeling he had in his gut. He had a pretty good idea of what the gossip contained and why he was the center of attention. It was, after all, not something that he could easily hide.

Rei hadn't exactly been subtle the day before with her breakup with Takashi, causing a lot of people to turn their heads and prick up their ears as she stormed away. Of course, she didn't shout it from the rooftop, but anyone could have guessed what had happened just then.

* * *

**OoO**

She immediately went to Hisashi afterwards, pouring her emotions out on him. As she hugged him tight she looked into his eyes with her beautiful brown ones and smiled at him gently. It broke him and he could no longer resist her charm. Lowering his head, she angled hers just a bit more and they both closed their eyes at the moment. Their lips touched as he slowly encircled his arms around her, pressing her against him just a bit more. It was an intense kiss that made him shiver all over.

After a few seconds they parted lips and once again gazed at one another. He loosened his grip and she took a step back. She breathed out, "I feel so at ease right now. I'm glad that it's behind me. It feels like a great burden has been lifted from my shoulders." Hisashi's expression turned into a grim one at her last comment.

"You shouldn't say that, Rei," he said with a frown present on his face.

"What do you mean?" She answered rather baffled. "Aren't you happy that I chose you?"

Hisashi let out a sigh as he momentarily closed his eyes. "I am happy that you want to be with me. I really am, but Takashi is still my best friend and…" Rei took another step back and turned sideways placing her arms under her chest.

"It's not your fault, Hisashi. You were there for me when I needed someone, especially after… you know…" He nodded in understanding, but couldn't turn his frown upside down.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Hisashi looked in her eyes, "I'll help you in any way I can to get you through that. I love you, Rei." He lowered his hand and reached for Rei's. As he took her right hand in his he softly squeezed it. "But I want Takashi to be there with us, as a friend."

She caressed his hand with her thumb. "And I just want you at my side." As Rei looked around she saw several students looking in their direction. "I think it's best if we go someplace else. Shall we go and get something to eat? I know a great place that serves the best ramen!" With that she dragged Hisashi away from Fujimi Academy and off the subject of Takashi Komuro.

* * *

**OoO**

Hisashi had found his way to his desk, avoiding as much gossip and banter as he could on the way. It troubled his mind, the way that nearly everyone looked at him. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his notes and placed them on his desk.

The classroom slowly filled as time passed by. Shortly after his arrival, Saya entered the classroom and made her way to her desk further in front of the class. She didn't seem different from any other morning. Not the least bit interested in any of the other students around her. Hisashi narrowed his eyes as he looked at Saya. 'I wonder if she heard what happened yesterday.' As the thought crossed his mind Saya looked around briefly and then turned towards the door of the classroom. She had a frown on her face, something that was common when Takashi wasn't around. 'I'm guessing she doesn't know yet.' He propped his right hand up and rested his head upon it.

Both Morita and Imamura had already shown up by the time the bell started to ring. 'I doubt Takashi will show himself.' He closed his eyes and sighed, 'Nor can I blame him after what I did to him.' Thinking about how he could somehow restore his friendship with his best friend his thoughts slowly drifted towards that of Rei. Opening his eyes, he turned his attention to the outside.

* * *

**OoO**

After they left the academy yesterday they went out to eat at the place Rei had suggested. Enjoying each other's company, they spent several hours, flirting with one another. Not once did the subject of Komuro cross their minds. Both of them were in their little spot in heaven. As the evening progressed, Hisashi did everything that came to mind to make it as pleasant as possible for his lady. She smiled a lot and he was given gifts in the form of hugs and kisses. It turned into a lovely date.

He offered to take her home and she gratefully accepted. Unlike him, she didn't live at the dorms like many of the students of Fujimi Academy. And so after taking the subway that lead them closer to the Miyamoto household, Hisashi led Rei to her home, hand in hand. Coming to a stop before entering the gate, Rei turned to Hisashi with a blush on her cheeks. "Thank you, Hisashi, for a lovely evening." She stepped in front him and lifted her head slightly. Embracing his cheeks with her hands she brought his lips closer to hers and kissed him softly. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as they parted lips. "Meet me next to the gymnasium tomorrow during lunch break." She swayed her hips as she moved through the gate and turned before she left his line of sight. "I'll grant you another if you do." Her seductive voice made him shiver as he nodded and wished her a goodnight.

* * *

**OoO**

'What am I doing? I mean, I really love Rei with all my heart, but how can I show it to her without hurting Takashi any further,' Hisashi thought as the end of class came near. He hadn't even noticed that Saya had been staring at him for the majority of class. 'I should talk to Rei again about the matter. It will take time for us to become friends with Takashi again, but if I don't do something now then we might never repair the damage that has been done.' The bell signaling the end of class brought him out of his thoughts and back to reality. He quickly gathered his belongings and made his way out of the room. Passing the cafeteria, he momentarily stopped to consider grabbing a meal, before deciding to let it pass and meet with Rei.

Ignoring the attention given to him by many of the surrounding students he made his way to the gymnasium. She was waiting for him, leaning against the building with her hands on her back. As Hisashi came into view, she looked up with her beautiful brown eyes and smiled at him affectionately. "What took you so long? Perhaps I should punish you for making me wait," she said with a mischievous grin. Forgetting his original intent to bring up the subject of Takashi, Hisashi walked up to her and placed his hands on the small of her back.

"Not being near you is punishment enough I'd say," Hisashi flirted, causing Rei's eyes to widen a bit more.

"Oh? Is that so?" Slowly she moved her hands along his back and rested them on his shoulder blades. "Then perhaps, a reward, is deserved." Lifting her head just a bit she pulled him closer to her and kissed. They remained in each other's embrace for several more minutes. Until…

"How could you do this to him?!" A voice demanded them from a distance.

Startled by the sudden interruption, both of them turned their heads towards the origin of the sound. A wave of pink caught their eyes as they beheld the sight of their interruption. It stared at them with clenched fists and shaking heavily. Saya Takagi.

"Tagaki!? What are you doing here?" Rei spoke up as she untangled herself from Hisashi's grip.

"What are you say-" Hisashi began when Saya once again interrupted.

"Shut up, Hisashi!" He froze at the tone of her voice.

"You call yourself his best friend and dare to do this to him?" Her voice slowly drifted from anger to sadness. "I would never have thought you to be such a person, Hisashi." She looked him straight into his eyes and could see his guilt boiling up.

"What is it to you, Saya?" Rei asked as she stepped in between Saya and Hisashi. "Takashi will get over it, it's not like we were that close anyway." She waved her hand, dismissing the matter as if it was nothing. Even Hisashi himself looked at her with confusion written on his face.

"I doubt he'll ever even be able to-," a fierce slap ceased her rambling. She raised her hand to her now reddening cheek, shocked at what had just transpired. "Wha-what…"

Saya stood directly in front of Rei, her hair covering her eyes as she returned her hand to her side. "You don't deserve him." For a moment, Rei thought she saw a tear running down Saya's cheek. However, before she could say another word, Saya turned around and stormed off, leaving the both of them stunned.

* * *

**OoO**

Everyone made way as Saya continued her path, looking even more dangerous than ever. Not even the bravest of her admirers dared to cross her in this state. They simply stepped aside and kept their heads low to avoid awakening the devil.

"What do you think happened to Takagi this time?" A random girl to her left asked her friend.

"Just leave her be, you don't want to get caught up in that."

Saya reached the main building and hastened inside, away from preying eyes. Before considering if she should return to class or not she thought about what had transpired. Leaning against the wall Saya took several deep breaths to calm her racing emotions. She expected something, but walking into Rei and Hisashi together still came as a big surprise. Having seen Rei's reactions to Takashi's attempts to soothe her she knew something was going on. Even Hisashi acted like nothing was wrong and everything would be as it was. These thoughts alone were enough to make Saya's blood boil once more.

'Takashi can probably use a friend right about now,' she thought, rubbing her chin, Saya began to think of ways to cheer up her childhood friend. "Well, me being there with him might help in the matter. Now I just need to find him, maybe Morita will know where I can find Takashi." With that train of thought fresh on her mind she returned to the classroom in search for Morita.

Hisashi hadn't returned to class yet, lucky for him, and Morita was sitting near the classroom window. He was gazing absently outside the window not paying much heed to anything else around him. Saya stomped past the other students that were present and came to a stop in front of Morita's desk. "Hey you!" she shouted, causing Morita to fall over on his back out of fear. With a loud slam he hit the ground.

"Ouch-ouch-ouch!" Morita caressed his back to soothe the aching pain in his back.

"You startled me, Takagi," Morita answered as he crawled to his feet. "Now that I think of it, this is the first time you ever talked to me! Have you come to declare your love for me!?" he practically screamed as his face came in contact with Saya's shoulder bag.

"In your dreams, loser," she answered as she returned her bag back around her shoulder. "Do you know where I can find Takashi?"

Rubbing his cheek, Morita did everything in his power not to show his defeated face just now. "I haven't seen him leave the dorms this morning." Slowly, Morita got back on his feet. "Perhaps Imamura has seen him since this morning." At that moment, none other than Imamura himself came walking through the classroom door.

Not giving Morita even a second glance she turned towards Imamura. "I need to speak with you," Saya demanded as she stepped in front of him.

Confused, Imamura stopped his momentum "You? Need to speak with me?"

"Have you seen Takashi today?" she continued in her demanding tone.

A bit shaken from the sudden conversation with none other than Takagi herself, he straightened his back to make himself more presentable "Takashi? Uhmm? I haven't seen him since yesterday." Before Imamura could change the subject Saya had already lost interest.

"Fine. I'll find out myself."

"Wait a minute, Takagi," Morita started before being ignored completely.

As Saya made her way back out the classroom once more she came in contact with Hisashi at the entrance. An awkward moment of silence hovered over them. Hisashi's expression was rather down compared to his normal visage.

Morita walked up to the both of them "Did something happen between the two of you?" he asked with a rather curious look.

Saya turned her face away from Hisashi "Humph!" and marched passed him. Imamura had joined Morita at the entrance and they both watched as Takagi made her way to the dorm building. With his head low, Hisashi quickly made his way to his desk without disrupting any further conversations. He had a very guilty look on his face. For a brief moment both Morita and Imamura were thinking of questioning his shady appearance. Something had happened, though both of them were far from imagining the truth of the matter. Only Takagi truly knew.

"I can't believe he dares to show his face after…" Saya didn't even want to remember what she had seen earlier that day.

As she made her way towards the dorms, she started thinking of what to say to Takashi. Coming to a stop in front of the dorms she pondered her sentences. "Hey Takashi! Uhm…"

"Takashi, I heard what happened with Rei- No, that won't cheer him up," Saya kept pacing in front of the dorms back and forth.

"Ohayo Takashi! How about we go to a movie?" A sudden blush reached her cheeks as she raised her hands to her face "What am I doing? Am I here to cheer him up or ask him on a date?!" As she turned around to make another circle in front of the dorms entrance, the door flew open and Takashi walked out leading to a full frontal crash with Saya ending up top. "Ouch…"

"Takagi? What are you doing here?" Takashi asked with a rather surprised look on his face.

* * *

_A/N: I'm glad that chapter one has been well received. I'd also like to thank __**BelleDayNight**__ for her work on this chapter._


	3. Chapter 3

**Change of Heart**

**Chapter 3:**

* * *

"Not that I exactly mind, but… this might get people thinking…," Takashi softly said as Saya still laid on top of him.

A fierce blush reddened her face and within a moment's notice a fist came crashing down on Takashi's jaw. "Idiot!"

"Ouch! I was just joking!"

It didn't take Saya much longer to get up on her feet and already busy dusting off her skirt. She faced the other direction to avoid letting Takashi see her embarrassment any more than he already had.

As Takashi slowly got back up he watched as Saya tried her best to cover up what just happened. He slapped the back of his uniform to clean it a bit before speaking up. "You don't have to be so embarrassed, Takagi. After all, it's not the first time we got tangled up like that." A grin crossed his face as he remembered their adventures during their childhood years.

The mere reminder of what they used to do made her go into a full-blown blush. "I remember! I REMEMBER!" Saya shook her head left and right as those 'adventures' popped up in her mind. It was in the time that Rei hadn't fully ensnared Takashi to her side yet.

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" She blurted out with an angry tone, though deep down she was happy that Takashi still remembered it.

Takashi bowed his head low and placed his hands in front of him in a praying position. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Unsure on whether Saya was really angry or not he decided to apologize just to stay on the safe side. It created an awkward moment between the two of them.

With her arms folded across her chest, Saya simply stared at him for several seconds before finally letting out a heavy sigh. Her gaze softened and she let her arms drop to her sides.

"I-I guess I could let you off the hook this time, but don't think you will be so lucky next time!" Saya finally managed to say as she turned her head to the left in an attempt to hide the fact that she was no longer angry at him.

Takashi returned to his normal pose and watched as Saya kept avoiding his gaze. "Uhmm, is there something the matter, Takagi? You seem-" before he could finish his line Saya's expression turned into a grim one and he was interrupted by a suddenly angered Saya.

"How many times do I need to tell you!? Call me Saya already!" she complained while poking him in the chest with her index finger. Not that it really hurt him or anything, but the act did cause him to take a step backwards. He raised his arm and scratched the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, Saya. It's a habit, I'll try my best to get rid of it," he said with a small smile.

"We've known each other for so long, and still you have trouble calling me by my first name?" Saya had a slightly sad look in her eyes as she once more calmed herself. Takashi however, was oblivious to it. "Never mind. Where were you heading off to, Takashi?"

"I'm going to head home early today. I've had enough of school for the next few days." Clearly annoyed as to why he had to explain himself, Takashi quickly skipped the reason why he was leaving early. Saya didn't need to ask him for it, since it was more than obvious that he simply wanted to escape the current hell he was in. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to abuse my PlayStation 3 for a while. The Assassins Creed series will probably do the trick. See you, Saya." He made a slight waving gesture and started making his way towards the school gate.

Saya's eyes widened the moment she actually heard her first name coming from Takashi's lips. It made her heart flutter and almost made her forget why she sought him out in the first place. 'Why did I come here again?' Her lips parted, but no words escaped 'Aarggh! Get your head together!' The image of Rei and Hisashi entered her mind and she immediately remembered. "The mall!" Saya blurted out without having given her words any thoughts.

Confused and slightly shaken at her sudden outburst, Takashi glanced over his shoulder back at Saya with a quizzical look. "The mall?"

'You're supposed to be a genius! Plan this stuff ahead!' She placed her hands on her hips with renewed vigor and repeated her words with more detail. "Let's go to the mall! We haven't gone anywhere together in a while and I need to do some shopping." It almost sounded like an order and Takashi was having a hard time saying no to her. It had indeed been some time since the both of them did something together. And with Saya there, it would most likely be a lot easier to get Rei out of his head.

"I guess I could buy some things while I'm there as well," Takashi reasoned. "Alright, what time do you want to go?" Grabbing his cellphone from his pocket he flicked it open to check the current time. "It's just past eleven at the moment."

"I'd like a change of clothes first and you should change too." Not that his clothes were dirty or anything, but seeing as his uniform would remind him of the academy Saya thought it would be best to get him out of it. Plus she always liked it when Takashi wore something other than his uniform. "How about I'll pick you up at three o'clock? I'll have our family driver take us to the mall."

"If it's not too much trouble. I don't mind going there by bus." Takashi knew Saya was driven to school every single day, but he considered it rude to simply accept to be driven when he was more than capable of getting there himself.

A sudden grin nearly split her face in two, as she rubbed her chin as if in deep thought. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'll think of some way for you to pay me back."

Even though the temperature was very pleasant, a sudden chill raced through his spine with the way Saya said it. With a small broken laugh he shook it off. "I hope you don't intend to bankrupt me just yet."

"What would I need your money for? You don't think I'll be able to pay for my own purchases?" She asked in a somewhat provoking way.

"No-no! Of course you would!" Takashi quickly added.

"Good! Now then, I'll see you again shortly." Saya twirled around and made her way to the student lockers to retrieve her items. It was a weird sight, to see Saya almost hopping across the academy grounds.

Takashi didn't think much of it and continued his original path home, be it in a more happier state of mind.

* * *

**OoO**

Imamura was having a hard time coming up with a possible scenario where he would be present in class and someone like Saya Takagi would not. "Hey Morita, where did Takagi run off to? It's not like her to skip class," he said while rubbing his forehead.

Morita, who had taken on his normal posture during classes, sloped and barely awake, turned his head towards Imamura. "I think she went to the dorms, looking for Komuro. For some reason she seemed determined to find him." A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Aahhh… And here I was thinking she came to confess her undying love for me." His posture became even worse, if that were even possible.

"Man, are you still dreaming of that ever happening? Give it up already. No way that she'll ever go for guys like us." He waved his hand as if to sweep away a fleeting dream.

"I don't know about that," Morita answered as he sat up a bit straighter.

Before Morita could start his possible explanation Imamura was already talking again. "We shouldn't go for the younger ones anyway. Take the school nurse for example, Ms. Marikawa, now there's a true babe! I mean, have you seen her bazonga's!" He had his hands in front of his chest in an attempt to represent the nurse's formidable breast size.

The change of subject caused Morita's lazy attitude to switch to a very active and excited one. "You've got a bigger chance going for Yuuki Miku than the school nurse," Morita managed to say between the laughter. "Oh, and I don't know if you've noticed, but… Takagi's rack is the ideal bikini model size!" That last line came out a bit too loud as it seemed that nearly the entire class had turned around.

Somehow, their classroom teacher hadn't picked up on the disturbance yet as he was still writing his lectures on the blackboard. Most of the other girls in class however, did. Both Morita and Imamura's faces were met with many looks of offense and disgust. The other boys were simply trying to suppress their laughter.

They both looked at each other, and without a word they agreed that they would continue this talk later, in a more secluded area. A simple nod was enough to relay the destination. The school roof.

* * *

**OoO**

It bothered Rei that she had to part with Hisashi again since they were both in different years. Well, that was perhaps one thing she could be a bit happy about. Due to a certain teacher she did not name, Rei would most likely be in the same class as Hisashi the coming year. She did see Hisashi after school of course, but with everything that was happening to her lately she felt like she needed him by her side at all times. And Hisashi was more than happy to oblige to that, something Takashi would never have agreed on. The sudden thought of Takashi brought Rei out of her daze and back to her studies.

She watched as the teacher asked Saeko Busujima to recite the English sentences that were written on the board. She stood up from her desk and without much trouble, Busujima was able to perform the task given to her. Not only was she an A-grade student, but she also exceeded in her P.E. classes. She was also undefeated in her Kendo club and next in line to become team captain for next year. And to top it all, she was also considered one of the most beautiful girls at the academy.

Rei respected her, as a member of the Sojutsu club she appreciated the effort and skill Busujima displayed in her Kendo arts. They didn't talk much though, but that was mostly due to the fact that the both of them didn't have much to talk about besides class related topics. Rei had never seen Saeko show interest in a boy before, so it wasn't something she brought up whenever she was in conversation with her.

Rei propped her hand up on the desk and laid her head to rest upon it. It immediately reminded her of the encounter with Takagi earlier that day. It still stung a bit. A deep frown was present on her face. 'What reason did she had to raise her hand against me? It's not like I broke up with her brother or anything, and what did she mean by, _you don't deserve him_.' Confused by Takagi's last line, Rei's eyes become dull as she stared off in the distance. 'Could she be jealous? Is she perhaps interested in Hisashi?'

She got tapped on the shoulder by the girl sitting on her right side. Turning to her right, it was Mizore trying to get her attention. Mizore Kaname had been her closest friend in this school year. "You okay, Rei? You seem to be drifting off a lot." She slightly narrowed her purple eyes as if she was mentally scanning Rei's status.

"Oh, it's nothing, Mizore. Thank you for asking," Rei answered with a smile. "Say, did you cut your hair?" With that Rei had immediately switched the attention from her to her best friend without having to explain anything.

She ran her hand through her shoulder length blue hair. "Yes, I had my mother shorten it. It was getting a bit long and I'm preparing myself for my beach outfit," she said with a giggle.

"Ah, I see. Preparing to go on a boys hunt are you?" Rei asked, as a mischievous smile presented itself on Mizore's face.

"I bought a brand new dark blue skirtini that'll fit me just right," she said placing her arms under her breasts to emphasize her D-cups. "You care to join me, Rei? Or will you be too occupied with a certain someone?"

"Well I guess I could ask Hisashi to join us, if you won't mind me bringing my boyfriend along?"

"Sure, I can't wait for summer break!" Mizore responded while nearly bouncing in her seat. After a few seconds she calmed down and became a bit restless, shifting in her spot. "Uhmm, by the way, how is your relationship with Komuro?"

Rei was taken aback by the sudden question of her and Takashi's relationship status. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "He's just a friend, that's all." Curious as to why her best friend suddenly had such an interest in Takashi, Rei opened her eyes and leaned a bit more towards Mizore. "Why the sudden interest, Mizore?"

A sudden blush developed upon Mizore's cheeks as Rei gazed at her with increasing intent. "Well… I thought that… Since the both of you were always together, that you were… you know… a couple." She started to fidget with her hands as she turned her gaze towards her desk. "But with Hisashi as your boyfriend, that would mean that Komuro is free, right?"

It irritated Rei that Mizore showed - what seemed like – a romantic interest in Takashi. Even though they had indeed spent a lot of time together, she never told anyone, Mizore included, that she and Takashi had planned to be together. Not that she regretted breaking up with Takashi, but him possibly getting a new girlfriend was something that caused her stomach to turn. Trying her best not to show her negative feelings towards the matter she said, "I guess he would be."

"You've been with him since you were just kids, right? What's he like?" Mizore was getting more and more interested in the details about Komuro to point of near arousal.

"I think we should pay attention to what the teacher is trying to tell again," Rei said with a fake smile.

Slightly surprised, Mizore nodded in response and turned her gaze towards the blackboard. Though with the way her lips curled up into a naughty smile, Rei was sure that Mizore's mind was doing anything except paying attention to class. Sighing deeply, Rei couldn't wait for the next moment she could see Hisashi again.

* * *

**OoO**

'Just my luck to have Takagi run in on us.' Hisashi had his head buried deep in the palms of his hands. 'That just makes it so much easier to get close to Takashi again.' He raised his head and looked around the classroom. Takashi wasn't here, obviously, and Takagi hadn't shown up again after she left just before class started. 'I wonder why she decided to skip class all of a sudden. It's not like her to care for anyone besides herself.'

Looking at the desks at the end of the classroom he could see Morita and Imamura talking to one another. Not loud enough to be heard though. He wondered if he was the one they might be talking about.

That thought was quickly erased when Morita voiced his words a bit louder then he most likely had planned. "…Takagi's rack is the ideal bikini model size!"

Even in this foul mood Hisashi was able to get a smile on his face, thanks to the two stooges in the back.

* * *

_A/N: Just a reminder, I'm going to alter the original storyline. So if there are facts that don't correspond then its most likely planned. You're free to comment on it of course!_

_Again, special thanks to __**BelleDayNight**__ for her continued support on this story!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Change of Heart**

**Chapter 4:**

* * *

Having arrived home about a quarter past twelve, Takashi had plenty of time before Saya would come and pick him up by car. He kicked off his shoes and made his way towards the living room. Getting changed would probably only take him ten to fifteen minutes, so Takashi decided that while he was waiting for Saya anyway, he might as well start up that game of Assassins Creed he was thinking about earlier.

Takashi went up to his room and powered up his game console along with his TV screen. Thanks to his mother, his room was kept clean and nicely ordered. He grabbed his remote, the PS3 controller and dropped himself on his bed. He rearranged the cushions against the headboard to get in a more comfortable position and began his adventure in the Animus, the game's cleverly devised way of 'animating' a person's past experience as a so-called Assassin.

Lucky for him, his mother was still at the Elementary School, else he would probably have been scolded for skipping classes and coming home early. And his father often had to work overtime at the office, so he wasn't expecting him to drop by anytime soon either.

A satisfied sigh left his lips as he stretched out his legs while enjoying the introductory cinematic of AC Brotherhood. As Takashi watched the main character walk through the crowd of people he imaged himself in the assassin's place. Dressed in the white clothes of the assassins, with his hidden blades ready to strike at the unsuspecting enemies. "God, how good would it be if that were actually true? I'd be an awesome assassin!" The cinematic continued as the assassin used his hidden blades to instantly kill two soldiers guarding the parade, causing Takashi to mimic the moves with his own hands. As the cinematic progressed, the assassin was joined by several of his fellow assassins as they came face to face with the enemy brigade. Takashi could hear himself giving commands as he and his companions charged the enemy line. The intro ended and the game menu popped up "Alright! Let's get this game started!"

As the game progressed, Takashi started to get increasingly annoyed by the enemy leader. The one that invaded the main character's home and stole away his girl. Perhaps it was just coincidence, but Takashi was getting a weird feeling of déjà vu. The feelings of hatred and anger that boiled up within him however, were somewhat soothed by the game's possibility of being able to kill many, many of the enemy leader's personal soldiers.

"I'm going to end you, Cesare!" Takashi shouted at the screen as his character was left behind, wounded and alone.

For some reason, even though the events on his screen were a matter of fiction, it suddenly reminded him of Hisashi. And even though the in-game girl was taken against her will, he still compared her to Rei. As if her dumping him was something Hisashi had orchestrated and planned all along.

Takashi smashed the palm of his hand into his bedroom wall "Damn it!" He could sense tears welling up in his eyes as his mind went back to the day before. An expression of pain was once more evident on his face. A tear rolled off his cheek as he closed his eyes shut, trying to forget what had happened. "Why, Rei? I thought we had something special."

Forcefully rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, Takashi continued his attempt to clear his mind of everything that happened at the academy this past week. He laid his head against the headboard of his bed and stared at the ceiling. Again, Takashi closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"Right. I went home to relax and get it out of my head."

He turned his attention back to his game and continued the storyline. And while it wasn't necessary, or even the game's true intention, he slaughtered every town guard that he came across. Even a simple mission of retrieving an item from a certain chest, ended up a massacre.

"Ah well, I can always return and complete the mission for a full synchronization," he said as the game showed the mission score, indicating that no guards were supposed to be killed.

Time passed by without him even knowing it. Takashi was now too engrossed in the game to notice the alarm clock on the side of his bed getting dangerously close to that three o'clock timer.

* * *

**OoO**

"Say, Misaki, how's your amorous adventure with Usui working out for you?" Nerine, one of the parlour maids of the Takagi Manor, asked to vex her.

Blushing a deep red, Misaki, the lady's maid, desperately tried to cover her embarrassment. "Aren't you needed anywhere, by any chance?" She asked, hoping they could quickly go to a different subject.

"Oh don't be shy, Misaki. We've known each other for so many years now, surely you can tell me how the majordomo is treating you in private," Nerine said with a mischievous grin.

Letting out a deep sigh as to indicate her defeat. "He is very gentle, if you must know." Misaki answered with an annoyed expression. "You can truly be a nuisance from time to time, Nerine. Why can't you be more like Shinobu?" The moment her name was mentioned, Shinobu just happened to enter the servants' quarters.

As driver for the Takagi family, Shinobu wasn't wearing the maid outfits that both Misaki and Nerine were wearing. She was dressed in a women's black tuxedo, something she preferred over a dress any day.

"Did I just hear someone call out my name?" Shinobu asked as she walked up to the pair with a proud smile on her face.

Looking at Shinobu's face, Misaki rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't happen to have been eavesdropping now would you, Shinobu?"

Shinobu's eyes widened a bit as she raised her hands in front of her. "I would never!" That smile lingered on her lips.

A childish groan escaped Misaki's lips as now, not one, but two of her best friends were teasing her. Laughter filled the quarters as Misaki got slightly upset. As the laughter slowly died down they were all suddenly interrupted by a certain man standing in the doorway, clearing his throat.

"Am I interrupting anything important, ladies?" The fairly tall and well-mannered gentleman asked.

He was wearing a black suit, much like Shinobu's except the male version of course, with his yellow hair combed back into a small, low ponytail. His green eyes examined the three women in front of him. They quickly linked with Misaki's amber eyes and his expression turned into a soft one.

"Usui, they're teasing me!" Misaki complained as she stood there, being poked by Nerine and Shinobu.

"Now now, girls. There is work to be done," Usui said, as he offered Misaki a loving smile. "The mistress requests your presence, Misaki," he said, giving her a perfect excuse to slip away from her harassers.

"You're no fun, Usui," Nerine said as she gave him a disappointed look.

"I can't leave her in distress now, can I?" Usui answered with a smirk.

Shinobu wanted to ask Usui if Misaki was actually requested or not when her mobile started to ring. She took it from her pocket and glanced at the display to see who was calling. It was Saya Takagi, the mistress's daughter. Quickly flicking it open, she answered, "Miss Takagi, how can be of service?"

Slightly confused, seeing as Saya's school day was far from over, Usui crossed his arms and awaited the end of Shinobu's conversation. Nerine simply stood there, awaiting her next task.

"You would like me to come pick you up right now?" Shinobu asked with raised eyebrows. "Oh no, miss Takagi. That will not be a problem," she said while nodding. "The car will be there shortly, miss Takagi." With that the call was ended at the caller's side. With a look of surprise still on her face, she explained to her coworkers, "Miss Takagi wishes to be picked up, she sounded very excited over the phone."

"Then we must make sure she is properly attended," Usui answered, taking on his professional attitude, immediately directing Nerine to her next task while Shinobu left to pick up Saya.

* * *

**OoO**

With a deep and happy smile on her face, Saya hopped out of the Audi RS4 B8 black Sedan that had picked her up from the academy and ran up the stairs into the Takagi Estate. She ran past several of her family's servants without even bothering to take the time and be welcomed like she normally would. "Welcome to the Estate, miss…," the servants said in unison, but unable to complete their sentences.

"What would you think could be the cause of our young mistress's happy mood?" Usui softly asked.

"I wouldn't know, to be honest. I haven't seen her in such a state very often," Misaki replied.

"It's good to see her smiling from time to time," Nerine replied with a smile on her face.

"Let's get back to our duties. The young mistress will call for us if she needs us," Usui said as he directed the others to their respective posts.

"I will bring her some tea and refreshments," Nerine said as she made her way to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Saya had already reached their spacious living room where her mother was reading through her latest profits on one of her many financial projects. Sitting on a rather large couch wearing one of her usual outfits, a long thin purple dress, her eyes lifted up from the pieces of paper in front of her and towards her daughter running into the room.

Breathing heavily, Saya came to a stop and placed her hands on her knees to calm herself and steady her breathing. It caused her mother to worry that something bad might have happened at her academy. "What's wrong, Saya? Why are you home so early on a school day?" Yuriko asked as she dropped her reading material on the table in front of her and quickly made her way to her daughter. She placed her hands on Saya's shoulders and pulled her closer. "Did something happen to you at school? You're not being bullied are you?" she asked in a warm-hearted way.

Saya looked up at her mother, with her smile still heavily engraved on her face, but with a hint of desperation. "Mama! What should I wear?!"

A look of utter confusion crossed Yuriko's face as she listened to her daughter's question. "What?"

"I'm going shopping with Takashi and I need something to wear!" Saya nearly shouted in a very excited state.

Having her daughter repeat the question didn't really help Yuriko get a better understanding of the situation. Although the comment of Takashi and her going shopping did give her a bit of a clue. "Saya, how come you're going shopping with Komuro? And shouldn't you be at school at this time?" she asked as she wondered why Saya was so excited by all of this.

Saya's cheeks turned slightly red as her mother asked her for the reason why she was going shopping with Takashi. "Uhmm, well, that's complicated, Mama," she said turning her eyes away.

Yuriko didn't miss the sudden change in Saya's posture and released her hands from Saya's shoulders. She instead reached for her daughter's hands and held them softly. "Why don't we take a seat and talk about it," Yuriko said with a warm smile. This caused Saya to turn her eyes back to her mother's.

A little unsure if she wanted to talk about it, Saya allowed her mother to guide her to the couch. As they both sat down on the couch, Misaki walked up to them "Would you care for some tea, Milady?"

"Yes, that would be nice," Yuriko answered as Saya looked at her and nodded.

"It'll be there in a moment." Misaki bowed her head and took a step back before turning around and walking away again.

As the woman left the room Yuriko turned her attention back towards her daughter sitting next to her. Saya was playing with one of her pigtails, twisting it around her fingers. It seemed that she wasn't going to spill the beans on her own. Yuriko placed her right hand on Saya's left. "Now then, let's start at the beginning. How come you are not at school? Are you skipping classes?"

Now somewhat ashamed that she was skipping classes, Saya's expression tensed. "Well, as a matter of fact I am, but I have good reason for it. At least, I think I do," she said as she placed her other hand on top of her mother's while looking her straight in the eyes with her beautiful tangerine colored irises.

"Alright, continue," Yuriko answered as she looked at her daughter intently.

Saya thought for a moment on how she was going to explain why she was skipping class and why she asked Takashi to go shopping. "Right, uhmm." Again her eyes turned from her mother's.

"When I entered class this morning, Takashi hadn't arrived yet. Which wasn't a big deal, since he normally arrives a bit later then I do." Saya didn't mention that Takashi occasionally skipped class, but always together with Morita and Imamura. She would always scold him for it afterwards, though she never told his mother or father that he did.

"However, when the bell started to ring, Takashi still hadn't arrived yet," Saya continued while Yuriko listened attentively.

Saya stopped for a moment as Misaki returned with the tea. "Excuse me," she said as she placed two teacups on the table. She carefully collected Yuriko's papers and neatly stacked them on the other end of the table. Having cleared the side Saya and Yuriko were sitting, Misaki returned to her task and poured the both of them tea. "Enjoy your tea, Milady." And with those words she once again bowed her head, took a step back and walked away.

Saya waited until the maid had left the room and continued. "During lunch I passed several students talking about Takashi. Which, due to his absence in class, caught my attention." She hid the fact that she was generally interested in Takashi's whereabouts.

Saya's expression slowly turned into a sad one. "That was when I heard that Takashi got dumped by Miyamoto." Yuriko's eyes widened as Saya told her this. "Not only that, but she dumped him for his best friend no less." Raising her left hand to her mouth, Yuriko was shocked from what Saya told her.

"The poor thing," Yuriko gasped sympathetic.

"I confronted her after hearing the rumors, because I couldn't believe them at first," Saya said as her sad expression slowly morphed to an irritated one.

"Asking several of her classmates, I finally discovered where she had gone off to. And when I got there she was actually kissing Hisashi Igou! Takashi's supposed best friend!" She threw her hands in the air as she raised her voice.

"After that, I immediately began to think about how I could possible go and cheer up Takashi."

The moment Saya started talking about 'cheering up Takashi' Yuriko noticed that the anger had suddenly been replaced with the feeling of shyness. A smirk presented itself on Yuriko's lips. "And so you ended up with inviting him to go shopping with you?"

Saya suddenly felt like she had shrunk a couple of sizes while she sat there fidgeting with her hands. "Y-Yes, I did."

Satisfied with the explanation her daughter had given her, Yuriko raised her hands and cupped Saya's cheeks. Saya's eyes turned towards her mother. "I can appreciate you helping your childhood friend in such a rough situation. I will forgive you for skipping your classes this day, but don't make a habit of it." She said as she grabbed Saya's cheeks and playfully pinched them.

"Ouch! Mama?!" Saya said as her mother laughed at her response.

"You can be so adorable when you're embarrassed," Yuriko said as Saya pouted her lips at her mother's teasing.

Without even bothering to touch the tea, Yuriko got up and pulled Saya off the couch. Slightly surprised, Saya looked at her mother with raised eyebrows. But before Saya could ask why, she already got her answer. "You needed something to wear, did you not?" Yuriko answered with a amused smile.

A slight blush appeared on Saya's face when she remembered how she barged into the house asking for advice on what to wear. Annoyed by her own self, 'Could I have been more obvious!?' she thought as her mother led her up the stairs and into Saya's bedchamber. "It's not what you think, Mama," Saya said as her mother immediately began configuring costumes for her to wear.

With her eyes half closed and a cunning smile on her face she answered, "Of course not, sweetie." Yuriko continued rummaging through Saya's closet, pushing aside dresses, skirts, jeans and various other clothing. Pulling out item after item and using Saya's figure as her mental mannequin, Yuriko slowly started to thin out the pile of possibilities.

"Mmm, it's not technically a date yet..." Yuriko cheerfully said while putting a rather sexy dress away.

Saya stood near her mother, she probably couldn't have had more color on her face than she did at that moment. "It's not a date! Or anything related to it!" It didn't seem to have any effect on her mother's selection of clothing.

She handed Saya a black circular knee length skirt and a dark blue, ruffled, short sleeved shirt. "Put those on together with your brown knee high boots and you'll look fantastic!" she said enthusiastically.

Trying to hide her embarrassment, Saya quickly grabbed the clothes and the knee boots her mother suggested and made her way towards her bed. She laid her clothes on the bed and then returned to her closet, gaining a questioning look from her mother.

"Did I forget anything?" Yuriko asked as she watched Saya stirring around in her closet.

A deep blush presented itself on Saya's cheeks as she held the items close to her chest. "If you don't mind, Mama, I'd like to go and take a shower." Yuriko caught a glimpse of what Saya was holding and immediately excused herself. Saya truly hoped her mother hadn't seen her grabbing one of her more sexier lingerie.

Before leaving the room, Yuriko placed her hand on the door handle and looked over her shoulder at Saya. "Be sure to call if you intend to stay over at Komuro's," she said with a mischievous smile. Saya sprinted back towards the bed and launched a pillow in her mother's direction. Luckily for Yuriko, she had already planned ahead of that and the pillow landed against the inside of Saya's bedroom door.

She could hear her mother's laughter from behind her door as Saya in turn tried to bury herself in her remaining pillows in the hopes of forgetting what just happened.

Raising her head from the pillows, she looked to her right where a large clock indicated that it was already half past two. "Oh! I need to hurry if I want to freshen up!" She said as she jumped from the bed and made her way towards her private bathroom.

Removing her school uniform and gently folding it into a neat stack, Saya looked up and watched herself in the mirror. Turning left and right, Saya gazed upon her body, her eyes going up and down. She still had her blue and white striped panties on along with her blue and white bra. Satisfied with the way she looked, Saya turned the knob of the shower to allow it to gain a comfortable temperature. Meanwhile, Saya took off her bra and panties, removed her hair ribbons, and gently slid under the shower, closing the curtain behind her.

Saya stood under the shower head, allowing the warm water to wash over her body. She ran her hands through her long pink hair and simply enjoyed the pleasant warm feeling that made its way from her head to her toes. Grabbing a bottle of shampoo, she washed her hair to great extent, making sure that every strand got equal treatment. After that, Saya picked up her bathing-sponge, soaped it with shower gel, and slowly started massaging her body. She ran the sponge along her arms, to the back of her neck and down to her chest. Firmly rubbing her breasts with the soapy sponge, Saya made sure that every part of them got attention. Going down her firm stomach and around to her back and bottom. Saya made sure that every part of her body was properly cleansed.

Memories of her time with Takashi started to fill her head and slowly they turned to possible future events. She started to wonder what Takashi would say to her when showing up in the clothes her mother had suggested. 'Wow, you look so good in that, Saya!' She blushed as she fantasized Takashi saying something like that to her. "Oh this? It's no big deal really…," she felt her arms slowly starting to caress her body on their own accord. As her mind became more and more rapt in her own thoughts, a feeling of satisfaction started to slowly overwhelm her. At that moment, she was in absolute bliss.

After some time, she exited the shower and thought about her idea to take Takashi to the mall. With him away from the academy and far from Rei's presence, what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

_A/N: The majordomo is responsible for the management of a household, if anyone wished to know. Anyways, I hope the lot of you are still enjoying the story!_

_I'd like to thank **BelleDayNight** with her assistance with, girl matters, so to speak._

_Last but not least, thanks for the reviews, follows and fav's!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Change of Heart**

_A/N: I apologize if my story thus far lacks any real action. All side-events that I bring into this story (including the servants part in chapter four) will serve a purpose in the long run. It also makes it easier for some main-storyline parts to be written and read. This chapter turned out to be almost twice my normal chapter size, I hope you'll enjoy reading as I had writing it!_

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

"That sure was a smart move, Morita," Imamura said while trying to contain his laughter. And failing miserably.

"Shut up," Morita said as he had his guitar on his lap and started a random jingle.

They were sitting on the roof of Fujimi Academy enjoying the afternoon sun. Sitting on the stairs leading to the Astronomy Tower, Imamura was quietly enjoying his cigarette. Well, at least he was until Morita started playing his guitar.

Imamura took another puff before starting his next sentence. "So, let's talk boobs."

Morita had indeed planned on continuing this talk about which girl, or woman, had the biggest assets useful to a man. Yet after a talk with some of his others classmates a little earlier, he came to realize why Takashi hadn't shown himself today. Apparently, Miyamoto had dumped him the day before, yet neither he nor Imamura had any idea it happened. Even though nearly the entire academy was gossiping about it.

"I don't really feel like it at the moment," Morita said with a weak smile.

"Don't feel like it? What do you mean by that?" Imamura asked surprised.

Morita let out a sigh as he sat his guitar down beside him. He rubbed the back of head as he thought about what others had told him. "I heard some rather unpleasant rumors around campus," Morita said with a somewhat sad expression.

Imamura looked up at Morita's expression. "Ah come on, man. We've done stupider shit than what we pulled in class today," he said with a laugh. "So cheer up! And let's talk boobs!"

It did cause Morita to cheer up, be it a little. "That's not what I mean, you ass," he said with a snort of laughter. "I'm talking about Takashi. Apparently Miyamoto dumped him, and for Hisashi no less." Imamura's jaw dropped and his eyes shot open in surprise.

"You're kidding me! Igou did that to Takashi?"

"I don't know, that's just what I heard people say," Morita said. He pulled out his mobile and looked at it. "I tried calling Takashi a couple times, but he isn't picking up. And I heard he already went home for the weekend earlier today." He stared at his phone for a little longer before returning it to his pants pocket.

"Ah, he'll get over it," Imamura said with confidence as he finished his cigarette.

Shaking his head left and right with his arms folded, Morita obviously didn't share the same opinion. "I don't know, man. I'd be pissed if I got dumped because of another guy."

Imamura snickered as Morita told him this. "Man, you first need to find yourself a girl in order to get dumped."

Morita hung his head low with a look of defeat on his face when Imamura said this, yet he quickly lifted it again. He raised his hand in front of him and then made a fist. "I've asked Takagi out two times already, but I won't give up!" Morita said as he stared off into the distance with a grin on his face.

"I knew it! It's the boobs, isn't it?" Imamura said as he slapped his knee.

"It's not just that, her entire body is amazing!" Morita yelled as his enthusiasm once more got the better of him. Though this time, it didn't cause the awkward situation as it did in class.

The conversation about Takagi got Imamura thinking about the question he asked Morita in class. "Speaking of which, where is Takagi anyway? I didn't see her in any of the classes that followed."

Snapping out of another daydream involving Takagi, Morita turned his attention back to the conversation. "I have no idea. Last I heard was that she went to the dorms, like I told you before in class."

"Hmm, weird," Imamura said. "Oh! Have I told you about that mom that lives next door to me?! She's so hot!" Imamura suddenly started.

The conversation quickly turned from boobs, to being dumped and then boobs again. In the end, it involved little intelligence.

* * *

**OoO**

Wringing out her long, pink hair in the shower, Saya did her best to drain as much of the water from her hair as she could. It took some time to get it all done. When it was no longer dripping water she grabbed a bath towel from the rack and began to dry off her body. Her bathroom was, like nearly every other part of the Takagi Manor, rather spacious and provided everything Saya needed. She finished drying her body and picked a bottle of moisturizing lotion. After putting on lotion, she wrapped the towel around her waist, grabbed the hair dryer from a closet close to the mirror and started drying her hair. As she was doing so, Saya looked at herself in the mirror once more.

"I wonder what Takashi really thinks of me," she said as continued watching herself in the mirror. Her expression turned a bit blue. "He's never looked at me like he did at Miyamoto." A sigh left her lips. She doubted it was her looks that were the problem. Having a fairly well 'developed' body and no scars or other abnormalities made it a beautiful example of female youth.

Saya was very happy she had met Takashi when she was only in kindergarten, playing with him every moment her mother allowed it. She laughed as she remembered some of the stuff they pulled when they were still kids. Takashi taught her ding-dong ditch and other pranks that would ruin the mood of many. They did get caught from time to time. Takashi would get a mouthful from his mother on how he shouldn't teach girls to play pranks like that. Saya snickered at the memory. "Mama always laughed when she watched how Takashi's mother told him how to behave. Papa however, always got angry and told me how I should be more lady-like, humph!"

Placing the hairdryer back in the closet after unplugging it, Saya picked up her comb. She started smoothing her hair, due to its length and all it needed a lot of attention. It didn't bother her, she had always had long hair, ever since kindergarten. Although at that time, it was her mother that spent most of her time combing it. She would take a seat behind Saya on the couch or bed and started combing while Saya would tell her of her adventures with Takashi that day.

As she stood there in a daze, reminiscing, a sudden knock on her bedroom door awoke her from her trance.

"Sweetie?" Yuriko asked, waiting for a reply from her daughter.

Quickly remembering her state of dress, Saya reached for her towel and wrapped it up higher around her chest. "I'm here, Mama. I'm still getting dressed," she answered as she reached for her red silk panties.

"I don't want to be a bother, but… what time did you agree to pick up Komuro?" Her mother asked.

Saya's eyes shot wide open. "What time is it?!" she asked rather startled.

"It's a quarter to three," the answer came.

Nearly tumbling over, Saya jumped from hearing the time. "What!? I am supposed to pick him up at three!" She yelled as she quickly put her bra and panties on.

"Then you'd better hurry or you'll be late," her mother said with a laugh.

Stumbling through her bedroom with her skirt halfway up her legs and still pulling her shirt over her head, a heavily irritated muffled response tried to make its way to Yuriko. "Fomt zoo tzink ai khnow tzhat!"

"I'll tell Shinobu to get the car ready. Just be sure you don't forget anything, Saya," a calmer more serious voice came from behind the door.

"Thanks, Mama," a calmer Saya replied. Barefooted, Saya grabbed a pair of socks but stopped before taking a seat on the bed. "I won't," she said as she thought about what to do next.

She could hear her mother walking away, most likely off to find either Usui or Shinobu. Taking a glance at the clock, 'Eleven minutes to three, that won't do,' Saya thought to herself. "I know! I'll send him a text message," she reached for her mobile and started typing. "I hate it when people are late. Well, at least with a message prior to the appointed time I'll save myself from being called a hypocrite."

_To Takashi K.:_

_Hey Takashi, I'm running a bit late! _

_I'm sorry about that, there were some matters that needed my attention._

_I'll be there within 20 min, I promise!_

_Xoxo Saya_

The moment she pressed the sent button, Saya got a good look at that last line. She panicked instantly, "No! No, no, no! Undo! Undo!" Saya yelled into her phone hoping the message would somehow not be sent. Hiding her face in her hands, Saya couldn't save herself from the embarrassment. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Continuing to berate herself, Saya started thinking of ways how to explain why she ended the message the way she did. Never had she used those two letters before, not even as a joke.

Putting on her white knee socks, strapping on her brown knee high boots and tying her hair into pigtails once again using the ribbons she'd removed earlier, Saya was finally ready to go. Or at least, that's what she told herself. She wasn't sure after her text message to Takashi, but she was a genius! She counted on her wits to think of something to cover up that last part. Saya grabbed her purse and rushed downstairs, where Yuriko was waiting for her near the front door.

"Let me take a look at you, honey," she said as Saya reached the bottom of the stairs, huffing and puffing. Walking up to her daughter, she immediately started straightening Saya's shirt. "Can't have you going out with your outfit looking disheveled, can I?" Yuriko said with a smile.

"Mama, I really need to go, I'm already late!" Saya didn't want to waste another minute.

"There. All done!" Yuriko said in a very energetic way. "Go, Shinobu is waiting for you outside."

Saya nodded and sprinted out the front door, down the steps where Shinobu was indeed waiting for her with the same black Sedan that picked her up. Holding the backseat door open, Shinobu bowed slightly and gestured Saya to enter. "The car is ready, Miss Takagi."

* * *

**OoO**

Back at the academy, Rei was on her way to see Hisashi again. Both their classes for that day had ended and she simply wanted to have his arms around her. All the thoughts of Takashi while in class got her feeling uneasy and upset. She was certain that Hisashi could help her get in a good mood again.

However, Mizore tagging along hadn't been part of her plan. She couldn't think of a good reason to tell her to not to come though. And so Mizore invited herself. Not that she could really blame her, she was her best friend after all.

Rei felt bad for not telling Mizore that she was not going to be a fellow classmate next year. She told Mizore nearly everything, but she couldn't get herself to tell her that. It was too hard. The memory of her father kneeling in front her, begging for her forgiveness, was too fresh, too painful. There was a sad expression on her face as she walked the hall with Mizore next to her.

"What's wrong, Rei?" Mizore had obviously noticed Rei's sudden changed mood.

Rei turned her head away from her friend for a moment and returned it with a smile on her face. "There nothing wrong," she assured her, as she kept a fake smile.

"Don't give me that, I've known you longer than today. I know when you fake a smile," Mizore said with a laugh.

As if Rei wasn't irritated enough, Mizore just had to add to it. "I just have a lot of things on my mind lately. Look, let's just drop it for now, okay?" A sigh left her lips.

Mizore watched as Rei narrowed her eyes and clearly had no intention to further the conversation the way they were. "Alright, I didn't mean to get you upset." Mizore's smile faded.

There was an awkward silence between them as they made their way to the courtyard. Mizore didn't know why Rei acted the way she did, but she didn't want her friend angry at her. And so she kept her mouth shut.

Rei on the other hand, simply didn't want to talk about what was bothering her, neither did she have the intention to apologize to Mizore for her behavior. Rei considered it none of Mizore's business.

The sun was shining its brightest when the both of them walked up into the courtyard. It did enough for Mizore to get a smile on her face again. That, or the fact that there were plenty of male specimen wandering around for her to goggle. It didn't bother Rei that much, compared to that first year student Miku, Mizore was all talk. 'All the time she talks about dating boys, yet she's too shy to ask one out,' Rei thought as she scoured the area for Hisashi. Her eyes widened and her face lit up as she saw Hisashi sitting on a bench not far from where she was. She dashed at him as Hisashi noticed her and raised himself from the bench.

He had his arms open as Rei ran up to him and leaped in his embrace. "Did you miss me?" Hisashi asked with a grin on his face.

Rei let out a squeak of joy before she took a hold of Hisashi and kissed him firmly on his lips. She kept her hands on his cheeks. "There isn't a minute that goes by that I don't," she said all ecstatic.

Hisashi hugged her closer and whispered in her ear, "That makes two of us."

By the time they were done hugging, Mizore had caught up to them. She had obviously seen some, if not all, of what the both of them were doing. Her red cheeks easily gave it away. She just stood there with her hands on her back and a shy smile on her face. "Hey Hisashi."

Hisashi looked at her and returned the smile. "Hey Mizore, you enjoying the view?" he said as he grinned.

Mizore didn't know where to look and cast her eyes to the ground. "I was just looking at how nice a couple the both of you were." She looked up and saw Rei sticking her tongue out.

Hisashi didn't miss Rei's teasing of Mizore and decided to give her a piece of her own medicine. "Hey Mizore, why don't you, me and Rei go see a movie tomorrow eve? There are plenty of good ones rolling at the cinema at the moment," he said as he winked at her.

"Hey!" Rei responded with a frown on her face.

"Really?" Mizore answered. She had gotten Hisashi's hint and purposely targeted him. "That would be great! I'd love to go to the movies with you."

Rei gave Hisashi a swat on the shoulder. "You're supposed to take me to the movies!" she said as she became slightly irritated again.

"Ouch," Hisashi said as he pretended that Rei's hit actually did anything to him. "I am taking you, Rei. I just thought it would be nice to take Mizore along, seeing as I've been spending a lot of time with you lately and the both of you haven't had the time to really catch up."

Rei's expression relaxed, she took his hand and petted it affectionately. "That's very considerate of you." She turned her attention to Mizore. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to spend more time together lately," she said.

"Don't worry about it, Rei. I think I understand, a boyfriend does take up a lot of time and effort," she said with laugh.

"Hey! I was helping you." Hisashi frowned as he noticed the obvious yet harmless insult.

"I'm kidding!" She quickly added. "But us girls have got to stick together! Don't we, Rei?"

Rei nodded and turned to Hisashi to kiss him on the cheek. "That doesn't mean I will forget you though." The words convinced him enough to go along with it.

"Alright then, what time shall we go to the movies tomorrow?" Hisashi asked.

"I've got to work till six o'clock at the maid café down town," Mizore answered.

"Shall we say eight o'clock then?" Hisashi said, both Rei and Mizore seemed to agree.

"That's fine with me," Mizore answered.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then. I've got to go to work soon, so I'll be leaving you two alone now. I'll drop by your place when I'm finished, Rei," Hisashi said as he hugged Rei and waved Mizore goodbye.

As soon as Hisashi was out of earshot, Mizore turned to Rei. "He really is a cutie, isn't he?" she said as Rei kept her eyes on him leaving their sights.

A broad smile crossed her face. "Yes, he's the best. And he's mine," she answered with an extra emphasis on the 'mine' part.

* * *

**OoO**

Takashi was well engrossed in a tough battle between his character and a couple of the bad guy's honor guards. Both well-equipped and well-armed, they were hard to overcome without the proper means to deal with them. "I might need to turn and run if I don't take at least some of them down shortly," he said to himself. He was getting surrounded and without his firearms to back him up he would have to make a run for it. "Dammit, I should've stocked up when I had the chance and saved my bullets for when I needed them most." Throwing a smoke bomb to distract and confuse his opponents, he make a quick run for the nearest alleyway and made his escape. "Phew, that went well," he said as he checked his gear. Seeing as most of his supplies were nearly drained, he decided to visit several in-game stores before continuing on the next mission.

Having gathered what he needed, Takashi went off to his next mission. It was a rather long one, and a difficult one as well. Halfway through the mission, Takashi was suddenly startled by the doorbell that started ringing. His eyes widened as he realized he had been unaware of the time and turned to his alarm clock. It was past three already. A sudden sense of fear befell him as his trip to the mall with Saya popped in his head. "Oh shit! She's going to be so mad!" he said as he jumped from the bed and instantly stormed to his closet for a different set of clothes.

The doorbell kept ringing with intervals in the beginning, but that ended rather quickly. Now the bell was constantly operated with the obvious intent to have someone open that front door. Takashi had changed his pants and relieved himself of his shirt as he made his way down the stairs towards the front door. "On my way!" he yelled while he was trying to control his breathing.

He opened the door and saw a frowning pink haired girl standing in front of him with her arms crossed and her right foot tapping. As Saya looked at Takashi she immediately noticed the fact that he wasn't wearing anything from the waist up. She flushed as she took a good look at his chest and abdomen. He might not be broad, but his body was well built and it took Saya a lot of concentration to get back to the fact that he wasn't properly dressed yet.

Her expression turned into a very angry one. "Why aren't you dressed yet!" she nearly yelled. "We agreed that I would pick you up at three, and I even sent you a text when I knew I wasn't going to make it in time!" The mishap she made in her text message didn't even bother her anymore at this point. All she currently felt was disappointment. "Did you forget me?!" She was clenching her fists as she fought back a tear.

He knew he had screwed up. Saya was his longest friendship and was the first to come comfort him after Rei had dumped him. He felt really bad when he saw Saya's angry expression turn into a more saddened one. "I'm sorry, Ta-…Saya!" he interrupted himself from making another mistake. One that, right now, would probably be his death sentence. "I thought I could play a game in the meantime and I lost track of time. I'm really sorry, please forgive me," he said as he bowed low.

His begging for forgiveness was answered with a smack on the head. "That's for forgetting me, you jerk!" Saya roared at him. She didn't leave though, she just stood there waiting for him. Takashi slowly raised his head so his eyes could meet with Saya's. "Well? Are you going to put on a shirt or do you want to go shirtless?" Saya said with a very irritated tone.

He straightened his posture, said "Yes, ma'am!" and without any form of argument he turned around to get a shirt and grab his shoes. He ran back up the stairs into his room and grabbed his shirt, his mobile, his wallet and his keys. How far was he gone that he hadn't noticed his phone blinking, indicating that he had received a message of some sort. He made his way down the stairs again and quickly slipped his shoes on. Saya was now waiting for him in the backseat of the car that would bring them to the mall. The backseat door was open and he could see her toying with her own mobile. 'I need to find a way to make it up to her,' he thought as he closed the door to the house and made his way to the car.

Saya waited for Takashi to take a seat and close the door. "Take us to the Taiei Shopping Town, Shinobu," she said in a somewhat more calmed state of mind.

"Yes, milady," Shinobu said as she put the car in motion.

Saya turned towards Takashi, "And you. You will be carrying my purchases for the remainder of the day, no objections!" She said as she poked him on the shoulder.

"I will," was all Takashi could say.

"Good, now then. I want to buy several new outfits for this summer. And I also need a new bathing suit. Oh, and then there's this new jewelry shop that opened up recently…," Saya kept on bantering as Takashi prepared himself for a long, loooong day of shopping.

* * *

**OoO**

They had already spent two hours' worth of shopping by the time Saya finished with finding and purchasing her new summer outfits. While in the meantime, Takashi served as a mobile clothing rack. It wasn't all that bad though, Takashi got the privilege to see Saya in various sexy outfits. His mind wondered off as to why he'd never done this sort of stuff with Rei before. Sure, they'd gone out, but they never went to do something simple as shopping for clothes. Then again, if it wasn't for Saya's suggestion he never would have even thought of it.

As Saya paid for all the items she had selected, she pointed to Takashi as the cashier offered her the shopping bags. Without so much as a word, the bags were handed over to Takashi who simply obeyed Saya's command. "Next on the list is a bathing suit," Saya said as they walked out of the store.

"Couldn't you have bought one at this store?" Takashi asked.

She turned around and looked him straight in the eyes. "Don't you think, that if they had bathing suits that I liked, that I would have bought them?"

He didn't know how to answer that question. 'Of course she would have done that,' Takashi thought as he simply nodded.

"Good, now come along," she said as she turned around and walked towards the next store.

Saya was busy picking out various beach clothing to try on while Takashi had claimed a couch near the changing rooms. 'This reminds me of my mother when I was younger,' he thought as memories of his mother picking out clothes for him to try on surfaced. Takashi couldn't explain it, but his time with Saya felt really relaxing. Even if he was being used as a mule. He couldn't complain about it, it was his own fault. 'Perhaps I should buy her something to make up for it,' he thought as he rubbed his chin while his mind started processing the possible gifts.

Unaware that Saya had passed him by several times, each time with a different item in hand, his train of thought was suddenly disrupted by a voice calling out to him. He immediately got back on his feet and looked around, wondering where that voice came from. "Takashi! Are you deaf?" the voice called to him again. He turned his attention to the dressing room closest to him. "Saya, is that you?" Takashi answered as he stepped closer.

"Yes, of course it's me. Who else do you think would be here?" the answer came from behind the curtain.

"What is it?" he asked her through the curtain.

It took a moment before Saya answered him again. "I'd like your opinion on something," she said.

Confused as to what she would want his opinion on, he asked, "On what?"

"I can't simply come out and show it, you know! So… could you… come and see if this bathing suit looks good on me?" she answered with some hesitation.

Now Takashi was the one that hesitated. He had never seen Saya in swimwear before, other than the school's swimming uniform that is. Rubbing the back of his neck, he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Stop asking stupid questions, idiot. Now get in here and give me your opinion," she said.

It would be the first time that Takashi would be this close to a girl in such a situation. He took a deep breath, swiped the curtain partially aside, stepped inside and closed the curtain behind him. He had his back facing Saya out of respect.

"You can turn around, Takashi."

He slowly turned around and was dazed by what his eyes beheld. It took him several seconds to take in the entire picture. Saya was standing in front of him in a pink ruffled bikini. Due to her figure, Takashi was having a tough time not to stare at her. His jaw had dropped without him even knowing and his eyes seemed to cling to her body.

Saya felt her cheeks getting hot as she could almost feel Takashi's eyes examining her. His gaze obviously stopped at certain places before slowly moving on. "Well? Do you like it?" Saya asked as she posed for him.

"Uhah, I'm… uhh… I mean…" Takashi stumbled over his words as he tried to give his opinion. He shook his head and looked Saya in the eyes. "You look beautiful, Saya," he finally managed to say.

It gave her a very happy feeling from within as he said those words to her. She blushed and turned slightly to her right side. "Really?"

"Yes, you do. You look absolutely astonishing!" He said as he continued to gaze upon her.

A great feeling of satisfaction washed over her. "That's very sweet of you to say, Takashi." At that moment she had completely forgotten the fact that she wanted to punish Takashi for forgetting her. After a minute or so, she said, "Uhmm, I need to change back to my regular clothing. So could you go back out again?"

"Oh, of course, I'll be right here. I mean there… outside…," he answered as he quickly stepped back out again.

After Saya got changed and paid for her new beach outfit, the both of them decided to get something to eat at a nearby cafeteria. Saya wanted to pay for the both of them, but Takashi wouldn't have it. He convinced her to let him pay for the both of them, as a thank you. Saya was right, he hadn't thought about school or anything related to it ever since they came here. He was very thankful for that. Saya was still enjoying her soda when Takashi told her he had to go the bathroom. They had already paid and Saya told him she would be waiting just outside the cafeteria.

As Saya was waiting for Takashi to return, three figures walked up to her. All three of them were wearing the Fujimi Academy uniform. She tensed up a bit as the three got close to her. "Well, well. Look who we have here," the biggest of the three started. "If it isn't the queen bitch Takagi." They all had creepy smiles on their faces.

"Buzz off. I'm not interested," Saya said, clearly feeling intimidated. She did her best not to show any signs of it. Keeping up a false bravado, in the hopes that they would turn and leave her be.

"I'm interested in you," the big blond guy said as he pointed at Saya. "And I'm sure I can convince you," he added while rubbing his hands.

"Who are you anyway?" Saya asked, as she tried to keep her calm.

"Don't you remember me? It's Tsunoda." He continued to close the distance between himself and her.

"Whatever, just go away," Saya answered.

That answer however, didn't seem to suit Tsunoda very well. His expression turned into an irritated one and he raised his hand towards her. "Listen, missy. You can come along or we can do this the hard way," Tsunoda said as his buddies started to grin.

Saya's face started to show signs of distress. "I'm not coming along and that's final!" She shouted.

At that moment Tsunoda tried to grab Saya by her shirt, but was halted by a hand restricting his wrist from further movement. "She said no," Takashi said as he held Tsunoda's wrist.

"You better let go of me right now and fuck off before I'll introduce you to my fists," Tsunoda said, as he looked at Takashi with a furious glare.

"You are not taking this girl," Takashi answered determined.

"Alright then…,"

Before Tsunoda finished his sentence he already had his left fist swinging in Takashi's direction. Takashi managed to dodge it by chance, however, he didn't see the one coming from the guy standing on Saya's right. Saya had backed away, unsure of what to do. All three of them were now swinging punches at Takashi and he was having a hard time trying to dodge all of them. Sadly he didn't, and while he did manage to get a few punches in, it didn't compare to the amount he was receiving.

A short distance away from where he was fighting, he noticed a couple arguing. Not a second later, one of them made his way towards him. 'Great… like I don't have my hands full already,' he thought before another punch send him flying towards the ground.

* * *

_A/N : To add to my earlier note, great thanks to __**BelleDayNight**__ for her continued support on this story!_

_And of course, as always, loving the reviews, follows and Fav's!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Change of Heart**

**Chapter 6:**

* * *

It took Takashi a moment for his blurred vision to clear up. He was now laying on his right side, on the ground, trying to get back up again. He could hear Saya's voice calling his name, "Takashi!", several times before he noticed the panicked tone of her voice. It felt like time had slowed at the point he got knocked down, though that could be his senses trying to recuperate from the punch. He felt a foot being placed on his left shoulder and being pushed down. Staring up he could see Tsunoda hovering above him with a cocky grin on his face.

"I told you to fuck off, didn't I?"

Takashi grabbed Tsunoda's leg with both hands and tried to lift it, but as soon as he tried Tsunoda let his weight press down just a bit more. The ground underneath him didn't help with the crushing pain Takashi was feeling.

"Guess you should have listened," Tsunoda said as he grabbed Takashi's shirt with his left hand.

Tsunoda reared his right hand back and sent it towards Takashi's face. Before it reached him, Takashi saw a large shadow coming up behind Tsunoda. Not even Tsunoda himself knew what was going on as someone grabbed him and threw him in the direction of one of his friends. Takashi looked up and saw a huge guy standing in front of him with a smile his face. The guy had to be 6'3" tall at least and from the looks of it he easily weighed over two hundred pounds. He had short red hair and red eyes. It was a very intimidating combination in appearance. His eyes were looking down at Takashi, who was still on the ground, trying to figure out what to do next.

"You staying on the floor or are you going to get up?" the guy said as he offered his right hand.

Takashi probably could not have been more confused. He was expecting even more trouble when he saw the guy coming towards him. Last thing he was expecting was getting an ally. Not that he was complaining, it couldn't have come at a better time. He reached for the hand, gripped it, and was pulled up to his feet with great ease. "Uuhh, thanks," Takashi said as he continued to watch his new 'ally'.

"Now how about we even this out a bit," the guy said as he gestured to Takashi's opponents. "I'll take those two knuckleheads and you go for your blond buddy."

Takashi wasn't about to turn down such a generous offer and nodded. He was still confused as to why this guy was helping him. He didn't know him. Hell, he hadn't even seen this guy before. But there would be enough time to get acquainted after this fight was over. Takashi looked around and found Saya shivering on her knees a short distance away. There was a tall and slender girl standing next to her with long green hair. It was the girl that came along with the guy that was now helping him. Takashi was somewhat more at ease knowing that Saya wasn't in direct danger any longer.

"Just keep your eyes on your opponent, mate. Your girlfriend is in good hands, trust me."

Takashi looked him in the eyes and he could see no form of deceit in them. The guy cracked his knuckles and took a back stance. From the looks of it, he looked like he knew what he was doing. Takashi raised his fists in front of him and focused his attention on Tsunoda. "I will," he said.

The patience of their opponents had apparently run dry as one of them charged at Takashi, ignoring the guy next him. However, before he managed to get within striking distance of Takashi, he was interrupted by a fierce kick in his side.

"AAAHH! FUCK! THAT HURTS!" He yelled as he crouched on the floor shielding his side from further damage.

Takashi was amazed by the strength and speed involved in the attack. He expected the guy to be strong, but slow as well. His fast forward movement was something none of them had expected, and neither the kick that followed.

"Focus on the blond one, mate!"

Snapping back to attention, Takashi turned to Tsunoda. He looked extremely pissed. Takashi stepped forward and swung his right fist towards Tsunoda. Tsunoda managed to block it and returned the favor. The punch hit him hard in his exposed side. He felt his lungs burning as he coughed and raised his fists again in defense.

"That all you got, you pussy!?" Tsunoda taunted by grabbing his crotch.

From the corner of his eye, Takashi could see his partner fighting the third bully that assaulted him. It pissed him off. 'If he can handle two of them then I should at least be able to deal with one,' Takashi thought to himself as he felt the adrenaline rushing through his veins.

"Takashi! You can take him!" Saya yelled at him. She had managed to steel herself and was now cheering for him.

It somehow filled him with confidence. He could do this. "Thanks, Saya!" He answered.

Tsunoda just laughed as he looked at Takashi and came at him with a right swing. This time however, Takashi sidestepped, grabbed Tsunoda's wrist and placed his left fist in Tsunoda's now exposed side, hard. Tsunoda was taken aback by the move, he went into a rage and started swinging left and right. It caused him to lower his guard and made it easier for Takashi to hit him. Narrowly dodging Tsunoda, Takashi kept placing hits left, right, until Tsunoda started to slow his movement. He was obviously starting to struggle with the punches he was receiving.

"I'll fuck you up, Takashi!" He yelled.

It didn't have as much affect anymore now that he was slouching and having trouble keeping his arms up. 'Damn, the persistence is almost something to admire,' Takashi thought as he prepared himself to finish this.

"Come then!" Takashi shouted.

Any form of logic or restraint left Tsunoda at that point as he blindly charged at Takashi. He completely dropped his defense as he attempted to knock Takashi to the ground. Again, Takashi made a side step and smashed his fist on Tsunoda's jaw. Somehow, Tsunoda managed to keep standing, but that didn't last long as Takashi clocked him on his nose. There was an audible crack as Takashi's fist made contact.

"AAAHH!" Tsunoda screamed in pain as he grabbed his nose that was now pouring blood. "My nose! You broke my nose!"

Takashi felt good as he towered over Tsunoda's crying form. He looked down at his now kneeling opponent. "You stay the hell away from her, you understand?" Takashi said as he rubbed the bloodied knuckles on his right hand.

He looked over his shoulder to see his partner giving his opponent a kick in his back, sending him to the ground. From the looks of it, the guy on the ground didn't have any energy left anymore to stand up again. "You doing okay?" Takashi asked.

"Yeah, he won't be coming at us any time soon," the guy said as he walked towards Takashi.

A heavy sigh left Takashi's lips. "Glad that's over." It didn't take long for him to direct his attention to Saya. He smiled and waved at her to show her he was doing fine.

Saya was still standing there, eyes staring wide in admiration of her knight. He was gathering his breath and smiled at her. She blushed and turned her eyes briefly away. She wanted to run in Takashi's arms and hug him, thank him for standing up against her harassers. But she was too scared to do so. 'What if he doesn't hug me back?' Saya thought as she pondered the idea. The green-haired girl next to her placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go see your boyfriend," she said with a smile on her face.

Saya thought about correcting her, but didn't really want to. She kind of liked the sound of it. She nodded and made her way to Takashi with the other girl walking beside her. Takashi and this red haired guy seemed to get along just fine. They were already talking and laughing again. Even though just moments ago they were too busy dealing with the three bullies that were now moaning in pain. "Takashi, are you okay?" Saya asked him as she came close to him.

"Except for a couple of bruises and painful muscles, I'll manage," Takashi answered with a laugh. He immediately gripped his side as he did. "Aahh, that hurts. Guess I'll have to take it easy for a while," he said. He wanted to give Saya hug and to make sure she was fine and feeling safe, but decided not to do so. He looked her over to see if she didn't get hurt. It may be the fact that he hadn't taken the time for it yet, but Saya looked beautiful in the clothes she was wearing. He was staring at her for some time now when he suddenly remembered that they weren't alone. He turned his attention to the couple watching the both of them.

"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" The red head asked.

He got an elbow in his side from the girl next to him. "Mind your manners, David," she said as she waited for Takashi to start the conversation.

"Thank you for your help. I'd probably remained on the ground if you hadn't shown up," Takashi said.

"You see? He's thankful. I told you that he would be thankful," David said to the girl before getting a whack on the head. "Hey, stop that," he said while rubbing his head.

"It's not you being helpful that's the problem, but you promised Saeko to stay out of trouble," she answered. She looked at Takashi and Saya who were still wondering who the both of them were. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. We haven't introduced each other yet. I'm Belle Reed, and this is my boyfriend, David Benedict," she said as she offered her hand.

Saya reached for it and shook it. "My name is Saya Takagi, and this is Takashi Komuro," she said as she gestured Takashi to do the same.

Looking at the couple, Saya immediately started to wonder a number of things. "You're not from around here are you?" she asked.

"Nope, we only came here recently," Belle answered. "I'm from the United States. And David's from the Netherlands," she said while she looked around as if searching something. "I'm sorry to ask, but… Can you tell us what time it is?" She asked.

Takashi grabbed his mobile from his pocket and flicked it open. He noticed the still blinking message he still hadn't read yet. "It's almost six o'clock," he said as he decided to read the message later. 'Perhaps I should delete it. It's no longer of much use.' Takashi thought as his thumb hovered over the delete button. He hesitated, 'Then again, I better read it later. For all I know Saya asked me a favor and I not only forgot to read the message, but deleted it as well.' Takashi closed his phone and slipped it back in his pocket.

"We need to hurry then, we were supposed to meet with Saeko at six near the sporting goods store. I don't want to keep her waiting," Belle said as she hooked her arm with David's and tried to get him to move.

"Saeko? As in Saeko Busujima?" Takashi asked.

"Yes, do you know her?" David asked as he was obviously surprised by the question.

"She goes to school with us," Saya answered. "She won the National Kendo Championship not too long ago."

"I don't think either of us know her personally. I mean, I have seen her before in her class and sometimes around campus, but she's a sophomore and we're both first years," Takashi added.

"Then why don't you join us?" David suggested. "Unless you need to go anywhere that is."

Saya and Takashi didn't have much else planned, and Saya was almost done with her shopping. "I guess there's no harm in that," Saya said as she subconsciously took Takashi's hand in her own.

Takashi looked at Saya's hand holding his and then directly at her. He had a somewhat surprised look on face. He didn't say anything though, he just watched her holding his hand. It reminded him of his years in kindergarten. She always stuck to his side, never letting go of his hand. Except, of course, when her mother came by and picked her up to go home. And even then it sometimes was a struggle.

Belle watched as Takashi kept his gaze on his hand. "Something wrong?" she asked.

Saya looked at what Belle was looking at and froze for a moment. 'What am I doing!?' She thought as she quickly released Takashi's hand. "Nope, there is nothing," she said. Saya suddenly felt very nervous. "We shouldn't keep Busujima waiting."

Both Belle and David looked at each other and seemed to mentally agree on something. "Let's go before I lose you again," Belle said as she looked David straight in the eyes with her golden ones. She got on her toes and pulled David down by his shirt. It wasn't a long kiss, but enough for Saya's cheeks to turn red. "Now, be a good boy and stay by my side," Belle said once she released David's lips from her own.

"Yes Ma'am," David answered with a deep voice.

Takashi cleared his throat. "Uuhhuumm… You know… If you want some privacy, then Saya and I could meet you at the sporting goods store," he said.

"That won't be necessary," Belle said. "Come, let's meet up with Saeko."

* * *

**OoO**

Saeko was sitting on a bench near the sporting goods store where she agreed to meet Belle and David. Belle had asked her where she could buy a yumi, a Japanese longbow, for her Kyudo training. Having trained in archery for over four years in America, Belle wanted to continue her hobby in Japan. Saeko had told her of the differences between the American way of archery and the Japanese way.

Saeko had also requested a new bokken and she received an earlier email that it was delivered at the store today. She had called Belle to ask if she had time to come with her. Naturally, David had to come along as well. "He can be such a hassle when he's off Belle's leash," Saeko snickered.

She had been friends with Belle for some time now, they had been pen pals for a couple of years before she actually met her in person. She was really interested in coming to Japan and finish her study here. And Saeko was more than willing to help her get acquainted with the surroundings and all. David was no stranger to overseas studies, he had already done so to be closer to Belle in America. "He does have a loyal and determined spirit when it comes to relations," Saeko said to herself.

She reached for her schoolbag which she had placed next to her on the bench. She pulled a textbook out of the bag and started reading through the chapter that she needed to master before the exams in two weeks. "I'm glad that I still have two weeks before I need to understand all this," she said as she rubbed her temple.

Saeko was wearing a white top and a dark blue skirt together with strappy sandals. She didn't wear these kinds of clothes very often. Mostly due to the fact that there was no need for it. Belle had suggested it several times and in order to stop her from the continuous assault on Saeko's fashion sense, she finally gave in.

"I wonder what is taking them so long," Saeko wondered as she lifted her head and looked in both directions. "I sent her the directions, perhaps they got lost."

Not recognizing anyone, Saeko turned her attention back to her study. It wasn't long until she was interrupted by a familiar voice calling her name. "Saeko!" She looked up and saw Belle walking up to her with David beside her, and two others that took her by surprise.

She placed her textbook back in her bag and stood up to meet them properly. "Hey Belle, I wasn't aware of the fact that you were bringing company. Well, besides him that is," Saeko said as she pointed at David with a teasing smile on her face.

"Ah come on, Saeko. I'm not that bad, right?" David said with a small laugh.

Saeko peered at Belle with an intense look, who immediately looked away from her and started whistling softly. Turning her attention back to David. "What did you do this time?" she asked as she folded her arms across her chest.

"What?" he answered with his palms held up and a deceivingly innocent expression on his face.

Both Takashi and Saya were wondering if now would be a good time to side with David. He did help them out earlier, but they were both too curious to see where this conversation would lead to.

"You promised me that you would stay out of trouble, David. To the Busujima family, a promise is something that needs to be kept," Saeko said with a firm tone.

"Alright, I get it," David said, lowering his head in compliance. "However, I did have a good reason this time." He turned his head to Takashi and Saya.

Takashi stepped forward and slightly bowed his head. "I'm Takashi Komuro and this is Saya Takagi," he said while he gestured to Saya. Saya stepped closer and nodded.

"It's nice to meet you both. My name is Saeko Busujima," Saeko responded and she bowed in kind.

"I'm very sorry that Benedict had to break his promise. He came to my aid when Saya was assaulted by three fellow students. If not for him, then I would probably have been the one on the losing side," Takashi explained.

"I see, did they have a reason to assault you?"

"They have been asking me to go out with them for the past couple of months and I'm simply not interested," Saya answered as she frowned at the reminder.

Saeko nodded in understanding. "A man should know when he is rejected and accept it. However, you are very popular around campus it would seem."

Saya was getting irritated by the cross-examination and so she decided to change the subject. "You're Fujimi Academy's Kendo champion from class 2-A, right?" Saya asked.

Saeko was slightly taken aback from the sudden change of subject, but she went along with it. "Yes, that is correct." She looked at the both of them. She had seen them around campus, but she didn't know much more than the fact that they were first-year students. "You're both first-years, right?"

"That's right," Takashi answered. "Well, not much longer I suppose, with the exams coming up."

Saeko looked at Belle then back at Saya and Takashi. "That's great! Belle is transferring to Fujimi Academy and will start as a sophomore along with the both of you. David is transferring as well, but he'll be in the same class as me," she said while giving David the evil eye.

Saya suddenly got an idea and was determined to see it happen. "Takashi, do you need any help with your studies?" she asked with a kind smile.

"Oh, well, I was supposed to study together with Rei and…" Takashi's expression suddenly turned grim. He had somehow been able to spend the afternoon without thinking about Rei. 'I wonder what she's doing right now,' he thought, remembering his original plans with Rei on this Friday.

'Darn it! I should have thought about that.' Saya thought as her smile faded. 'I managed to get him to stop thinking about Miyamoto and now we're back were we started.' She restrained herself from slapping Takashi and telling him he should get over that good-for-nothing… It wouldn't help her, nor him for that matter. 'I can still save this. Think!'

"Why don't you come to my place tomorrow and we will study together!" Saya suddenly blurted out. It caused Takashi to at least drop the sad and depressing look he was giving away. "That is, of course, if you want to."

There was some confusion among the trio standing close to them. Saeko had heard some rumors at the academy, but Belle and David were completely in the dark regarding Takashi and Rei's relation. All of them just kept their opinions to themselves as they watched the situation unfold.

"I guess I could do that, Saya," Takashi said, not entirely interested in her plans to study.

It returned a smile on Saya's face. "Great! I'll ask mama if you can use the quest room," she said without even asking if he wanted to stay over.

Saeko and Belle decided to visit the store in the time that Saya and Takashi were discussing their future schedule. David was just standing there, trying to figure out what the deal was with the two individuals in front of him.

"Then it's settled. I'll have the car pick you up tomorrow so that we can study at my place. Then, in the evening, we can go see a movie," Saya said, summing up their activities for the next day.

* * *

**OoO**

"I'm not entirely sure what's going on between those two," Belle said as she made her way to the archery department.

Saeko followed her and stopped to look at some other articles along the way. "I think there might be more to it than the eyes tell us."

"What do you mean?" Belle asked, having turned around to face Saeko.

"Well, there are some rumors circulating around the academy involving Takashi." Saeko stopped and considered if it was proper to discuss this matter further or not. "I think it's best if we just let it go for now. Should he be willing to tell us then he will do so in time," she said.

She couldn't help but be curious about it now. However, Belle agreed with Saeko and continued her walk. She was looking at the bow stock of the store with Saeko standing close to her. "He did have a good reason to break his promise this time," Belle said in an attempt to defend David.

Saeko sighed and then smiled at her friend. "I know, but that doesn't mean I don't get to tease him about it from time to time. He does need to learn how to contain himself though," she said while inspecting the equipment Belle was looking at.

"On some levels perhaps," Belle said with a grin.

Saeko's cheeks flushed red when realizing what Belle was referring to. Somehow she couldn't see him as anything, but a beast waiting to be released. "So, did you come across a bow that might suit you?" she asked, trying to get the improper thoughts out of her head.

Belle giggled at Saeko's reaction. She knew that Saeko hadn't had a boyfriend before and could only imagine the thoughts running through Saeko's mind. She turned her attention back to the equipment in front of her. "That one," she said, pointing at a bow with a Nisun-nobi bow length.

"Alright, let's go and see if we can find a store employee to help us with the purchase," Saeko said as she looked around and started searching.

* * *

**OoO**

Meanwhile, outside of the store, David was still standing there looking at Takashi and Saya. They were still in private conversation with each other and seemed to have forgotten the huge pillar standing next to them looking down on them.

"And on Tuesday I'll come to your home and study Mathematics with you," Saya said, continuing to fill Takashi's schedule.

Takashi shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Saya. I'm not sure if I'm in the mood to study as much," he said, thinking about other stuff he wanted to do.

His reaction wasn't well received on Saya's side. She frowned at his lost attitude. She placed her hands at her side and straightened her back, sending out an aura of authority. "Listen here, you idiot! You are not going to sit around and mope all day long!" She said, shocking Takashi by her sudden change of mood. "If you don't pass for the coming exams then you will have to repeat your first year. Do you want that to happen?" she lectured him.

"No," Takashi answered reluctantly.

"Then stop being an idiot," Saya said as she turned her face away.

"It's just…" Takashi started, but he didn't finish his sentence.

Saya let out a heavy sigh and turned her head back towards Takashi. "I know, but I will help you get over it," Saya said with an encouraging smile.

It felt weird. Those few words, that simple gesture, it gave Takashi a refreshing feeling from inside. Even though yesterday had probably been his worst day ever, his world hadn't fully collapsed on him yet. There was one who was still on his side. She stood in front of him, playing with her pink pigtails and giving him such a calming smile.

"You're right, Saya," Takashi said.

"Of course I'm right, I'm a genius!"

After having purchased the equipment they came for, Saeko and Belle walked out of the store and towards the three that were waiting outside. They could only make out a few words of what Saya was saying.

"So what are you all talking about?" Belle asked as she and Saeko joined group.

David shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly haven't got a clue," he answered as he took the shopping bags Belle was carrying from her hands and slung it over his shoulder.

"If the both of you are starting the next school year, then how come you're here already?" Takashi asked as he got curious about his new friends.

"We wanted to get settled before we had to start school, and Saeko told us that she could show us around the academy." Belle said, looking at Saeko for confirmation.

"I've asked if I could give them a guiding tour over the academy grounds. The teachers told me that it shouldn't be a problem as long as we don't interfere with any classes," Saeko explained.

"So we'll probably be coming over on Monday to check it out," David said.

"With our Kendo Champion beside you, you don't need to worry about the guys we fought earlier," Takashi said as he winked at Saeko, earning a blush.

Saya didn't miss it. 'Why is he flirting with her?! Am I not standing here?' she thought while keeping any form of anger or disappointment bottled down. She stepped closer to Takashi. "Takashi, I think it's about time we go home. If we stay for much longer then I'm certain your mother will be worried about you."

Takashi face palmed himself. "Aahh that's right. I haven't told mom I went shopping with you," he said.

"Then you'd better hurry," Saeko said. "Father would not appreciate it if I didn't tell him when I would be home. I can imagine that it is the same with your parents."

Saya pulled her mobile from her pocket and called Shinobu's number. "I'll tell Shinobu that she can come pick us up."

After the call, Saya and Takashi said their goodbyes to Saeko, Belle and David and made their way to the Shopping Town's exit. There wasn't a lot of talk between the two of them for some time. Until Saya finally decided to break the silence. "Thanks, Takashi. For standing up for me earlier," She said.

"You're my friend, Saya. It was the least I could do," Takashi answered.

'You're my friend.' The sentence kept repeating itself in Saya's mind. 'So, I'm just your friend,' she thought as she kept stealing glances at Takashi from the corner of her eye.

"No." Takashi suddenly started.

There was a confused expression on Saya's face as they both came to a stop and looked at one another.

"You are more to me then my friend, Saya," Takashi continued. "You're special to me, and always will be." He had a very satisfied look on his face.

Saya blushed and lost her will to talk. She felt a happy feeling spreading through her body. 'I'm special to him,' she thought as her lips parted while she gazed at him.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far! I'm actually surprised that my first story managed to get this many people interested. I know that the story pace is still slow, but I'm working on it to speed it up soon._

_As a special little thanks to __**BelleDayNight**__, I used a specific name for one of my additional characters. _

_Don't forget to review! _


	7. Chapter 7

**Change of Heart**

**Chapter 7:**

* * *

"Saya? Are you alright?" Takashi asked as he waved his hand in front of her.

It took Saya several seconds to acknowledge Takashi's hand movement and question. "I'm sorry, what?" she answered, startled, as she was drawn back to reality.

"You've been staring absently in front of you for a couple of minutes now. Something wrong?" he asked with worry in his tone.

Saya felt really ashamed by her inability to deal with her emotions. 'Why I am so anxious?' she thought, staring Takashi in his eyes. Again, her lips parted, but no words left them. 'What should I say!? What should I say!?'

Takashi stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Her heartbeat quickened at the feel of his firm grip. 'What should I do?' she thought as she watched his lips coming closer and closer. 'Perhaps …' Closing her eyes, thoughts of Takashi's possible actions flushed her mind.

"Saya? What's the matter?" Takashi asked again.

Saya opened her eyes to find Takashi waiting for her to tell him what was wrong. She felt a little disappointed that nothing happened. "I'm fine, Takashi. Really I am," she answered with a small smile.

"Oh good, I was afraid that I had said something wrong," he said with a laugh. He looked towards the part of the mall where they had encountered Tsunoda and his henchmen. "We sure had an eventful day, haven't we?"

Saya remembered Takashi's valiant defense and was disappointed in not having given him a reward for it. Though that thought was quickly erased by Takashi's next line.

"Glad I didn't forget you there," he said with that smile still on his face.

It didn't have the desired effect that Takashi hoped it would have had. Instead, Saya's smile got replaced by a deep frown. "Thanks for not forgetting me THIS time! Jerk…" With that she turned around and started walking to the Shopping Town exit.

Dumbfounded, Takashi found himself staring at Saya's backside as she moved away from him. Thinking back on the earlier mistake he had made by forgetting his appointment with Saya, he face-palmed himself. 'Smooth, Takashi. Very smooth,' he thought as he continued to watch Saya's retreat.

"Hey, idiot! The car is already waiting for us in the parking lot. Hurry up or I'll leave you behind," Saya shouted as she was about to step outside.

Takashi quickly picked up the pace and followed after Saya. Looking at her, he started to wonder. "You wouldn't have left me behind, would you?"

Saya turned her head slightly in Takashi's direction. "We all forget things from time to time."

"I guess I could have seen that one coming," he chuckled in embarrassment.

Shinobu was already holding the car door open for Saya to enter. "How was your day, Miss Takagi?" she asked as Saya stepped inside.

"It was fine," she answered.

A bit surprised from the short and less energetic answer, Shinobu turned her attention to Takashi. All this time, Takashi was still carrying Saya's purchases. "Let me assist you with those," she said while walking to the back of the car and opening the trunk. Takashi handed her the bags and she placed them in the spacious trunk. Then she walked to the side opposite of Saya and opened the door for Takashi. With a simple hand gesture, she offered Takashi to take his seat.

* * *

**OoO**

Rei was at home, waiting for Hisashi to pay her a visit after his evening shift at a local gas station. His father had managed to put in a good word for him several weeks ago and he was allowed to help out. Most of the time he had to wash cars and empty the trash containers. It may not have been a dream job, but at least it gave him some extra spending money for his activities with Rei. Though he did enjoy most of the carwashes with his fellow part-timers. They usually ended in giant water fights. With hoses.

Today however, was a tiresome shift. There were lots of irritating customers and the line seemed endless. Not only that, but they were short staffed from a coworker calling in sick. The most annoying part of the evening was the rude customer, who didn't have enough cash to pay for service, that threatened to smash one of the gas pumps. He was a broad figure with a slightly darker skin and braces. It was tense, but Hisashi was able to calm the guy down eventually. And if he hadn't, then Hisashi had enough confidence that his skill in karate would have solved the problem as well. Not that he would have preferred it that way.

Somehow, Hisashi had made it through his shift and was now free for his visit to Rei's. He took a bus that brought him close to her home. On his way over there, his thoughts drifted to Takashi and what he could be doing at that time. 'I still need to figure out a way to talk to Takashi without anything else setting us even more off course. I also need Rei to at least acknowledge Takashi's feelings.' It was still light outside and Hisashi could already see the house. This wasn't his first visit to Rei's home, but this time did feel a bit different. Although he loved visiting her, he always felt bad for doing so behind Takashi's back. 'I don't want to parade our relationship in his face. We'll need to give Takashi some time to get over this,' he thought as he walked up to the front door.

Though Takashi wasn't his only problem. There was something else that bothered him. Rei's mother, Kiriko, was still under the impression that her daughter was in a relationship with Takashi. He suspected that Rei hadn't told her mother about the breakup. Which, Hisashi figured, would probably be the case. So far he always had good reasons to visit Rei, though it did cause some suspicion on Kiriko's part. Lately, his visits were more frequent than Takashi's and Rei wasn't hiding the fact that she had started to have feelings for him.

Taking a deep breath, Hisashi straightened his clothing and pressed the doorbell. It only took a moment before the door opened and for Tadashi to welcome him. "Good evening, Igou," Rei's father said, slightly surprised.

"Good evening to you too, sir," Hisashi replied in a formal way.

"What brings you here?" Tadashi asked.

Hisashi hadn't expected the detective to be home yet. Rei told him he often worked late at the public safety department - especially on a certain corruption case. 'I hope he simply took the night off. He deserves it after all that's happened,' he thought as he wondered what to say next.

"I came by to visit Rei," Hisashi answered. "How was your day at the police department, If I may ask?"

"It was a busy day, as always," Tadashi replied as he folded his arms. "There was a small disturbance at the Taiei Shopping Mall a short while ago. A couple of teenagers picked a fight and pulled on the short end of the rope."

"Oh, I feel sorry for them," Hisashi answered, trying to sound interested.

"Don't be, these young lads turned out to be familiar with causing disturbances. They just happened to have found their match this time. Perhaps they'll learn from it. Though I have my doubts," Tadashi explained.

Now, actually interested, Hisashi wanted to know a bit more. "So, did you arrest the ones responsible for the beat-up?"

Tadashi let out a small sigh. "No, not yet, but I have a couple of good leads. I will continue the investigation tomorrow. I decided I could use some rest and spend some time with my family," he replied, turning his head back into the house looking towards the living room.

"I bet Rei is real happy about that," Hisashi said with a smile.

"That may be true, but here you are ruining my evening with my two special ladies," Tadashi said with a smirk.

Hisashi laughed at his answer. "Don't worry, I'll only be borrowing one of them."

"I do hope it's Rei," Tadashi replied as he narrowed his eyes.

"Who hopes it's me and what for?" Rei asked as she walked up behind her dad. She looked past her father and her eyes immediately got stuck on Hisashi. "Hisashi!" She yelled as she almost pushed her father through the wall and embraced Hisashi.

"Let me get out of your way, pumpkin," Tadashi said sarcastically as he balanced himself again.

Looking back at her dad, Rei stuck her tongue out as she continued to hug Hisashi.

"Love you too, sweetie," Tadashi said as he turned around and made his way to the living room. "I assume you'll be taking it from here."

"Nice talking to you, sir," Hisashi said while raising his free left hand while his other was firmly attached around Rei's waist.

"I think it would be fine if you called him by his first name," Rei said.

"I try to show respect to my elders," he answered with a grin.

Removing herself from his embrace, Rei grabbed his hand and pulled him into the house. She closed the door and started heading up the stairs. "Let's go to my room," she said with a naughty tone.

"Uhmm, shouldn't I at least say hi to your mother?" Hisashi asked.

A bit disappointed, Rei turned around and walked down the stairs again. "I suppose so."

It's not that he didn't want to go to her room, but Hisashi wanted to take it a bit slower than Rei had in mind. It felt like ever since she broke up with Takashi, she was trying to speed up the relation between them. There was plenty of time for all that. For now, it was important for Hisashi to keep his head cool and Rei's love warm. Which turned out to be pretty hard to do.

Rei held Hisashi's hand as she led him to the living room. Upon entering, they immediately got the attention of both Tadashi and Kiriko. They were cuddled together on the couch, watching an old romantic movie.

"I thought you only wanted to borrow one of my ladies?!" Tadashi said as Kiriko watched them with raised eyebrows. Her eyes fell on the both of them holding hands. Hisashi noticed Kiriko's point of attention and released Rei's hand. It caused Rei to get even more irritated.

"Hey, Mrs. Miyamoto."

"Hisashi, you can call me Kiriko." She continued to study her daughter, who seemed to stay overly quiet. "Is there something the matter, sweetie?" Kiriko asked Rei.

Rei placed her hands behind her back and turned her head slightly away. "No, not really."

Not convinced by her daughter's obvious evasion to the question, she turned her attention back to Hisashi. He seemed a bit uncomfortable as well, like they were hiding something from her. Kiriko had expected a visitor tonight, but she didn't expect to see Hisashi. She wondered why Takashi hadn't shown himself for nearly a week now. "I'm a bit surprised to see you here, Hisashi. I expected to see Takashi drop by," Kiriko said.

"Why would you expect Takashi to drop by?" Rei asked.

"Well, since he's your boyfriend, I assumed he'd come over," Kiriko answered, confused by Rei's question.

Something seemed to break within Rei the moment her mother said that. "He's not my boyfriend! He never was!" She shouted, causing her mother to freeze in place.

Tadashi's facial expression changed to an angry one as he abruptly stood up. "Rei Miyamoto! I will not have you talk to your mother like that. You apologize to her, right now!"

It stunned everyone in the room. Not for long though, as Rei turned around and stormed out of the room in the direction of the front door.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Tadashi shouted.

"Out!" She shouted back, slamming the front door shut behind her.

Hisashi looked at Tadashi and Kiriko, both of them had a very confused expression on their face as they looked at each other. "Uhmm, I better follow her out," Hisashi said, while moving towards the front door past Tadashi. "I'll talk to her," he continued with a reassuring smile on his face.

After Hisashi left the house, Tadashi returned to his spot on the couch. He sighed deeply. "She probably still hates me for what I've done to her," he said, a feeling of defeat washing over him again.

Kiriko huddled closer against him and placed her arms around him. "She doesn't hate you, honey. She loves you. I think she just needs time to get over it," Kiriko said, giving Tadashi a kiss on the cheek and resting her head on his shoulder.

He raised his hand and caressed her face, then pressed a kiss on her forehead. "Thanks, sweetie."

"I'll talk to her when she's home and calmed down, mother to daughter."

"When did she get a boyfriend?" Tadashi suddenly asked, obviously having pondered about that question for some time now.

"You didn't notice? You're a detective," she said with a confused and slightly disappointed look. "Komuro has practically been her boyfriend ever since kindergarten. You never noticed how close those two were?"

"I just thought he was a good friend of hers," he replied in defense. Rubbing his chin as he thought about this a little bit more. "But what's up with her and Hisashi then?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Kiriko said as she looked out the window.

* * *

**OoO**

"Rei, stop! Rei! Would you please stop?" Hisashi called out as he followed the angry stomping she-devil down the street.

"I'm not apologizing!" she shouted back.

"Could you just stop for a moment so we can talk about this," he said as he reached for her arm and pulled her to a stop. "You can't keep running away from your problems, Rei."

She turned around and buried herself in Hisashi's chest, wrapping her arms around him. "Why can't everyone just mind their own business?" she said sobbing through tears.

Wrapping her in a tight embrace, Hisashi just stood there for a while. He didn't say anything, he simply waited for Rei to stop crying.

"Mom and Dad are going to be furious," Rei said once her tears stopped rolling.

Hisashi reached for Rei's chin and lifted it. "It's nothing that we can't handle together," he said as he brought his lips to hers and gave her a deep kiss.

The moment their lips parted, a smile presented itself on Rei's face. Her eyes were still moist, but she managed to get a small laugh out. "How it is, that you always know the right thing to say," Rei said as she stared into his eyes.

"Well, in truth, I don't. It's just the way I feel." Hisashi released Rei from his embrace and grabbed her hand. "Now, let's go back. I haven't seen that romantic movie you talked about earlier this week yet."

"But Mom and Dad are already watching a movie," Rei said, holding Hisashi's hand tight.

"Yes, that may be true. But as I recall, your room has a screen and a DVD-player as well," he answered with a grin.

Rei blushed once she realized that same fact. "Oh, well I guess we could watch it in my room," she said, leaning her body a bit more into Hisashi's.

"Shall we?" Hisashi asked, offering his elbow.

"Yes please," Rei replied as she hooked in and started walking home again.

* * *

**OoO**

Arriving at his home, Takashi stepped out of the car and turned around to Saya. She still had a frown on her face, though it eased a bit during the car trip. "I had a great day, Saya," he said while giving a big smile.

"Well, I guess I had a fun day too. A few exceptions aside," Saya replied while looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"For what it's worth, I'm really sorry about earlier today."

Saya turned to her side to face Takashi directly. "You did stand up for me against those bullies. I guess I can forgive you for that. This time."

"I promise it won't happen again," he answered while offering his pinky.

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. The offer surprised Saya. She was very tempted to take it, but was afraid that the act would remind Takashi of his earlier promise. She decided to go for it. "Do you really mean it?" she asked, bringing her own pinky close to his.

He linked his with Saya's and looked deep in her tangerine eyes. "I do," he said while continuing to gaze at her. 'What is it about her eyes? They are so… soothing, in a way.'

"Takashi? Takashi? Hey!"

Unaware of the fact that he had been staring in her eyes for some time now, he also seemed to have missed Saya's question. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

"What time can I come pick you up tomorrow? You know, to study?" Saya asked again.

"Oh, uhmm, around twelve?" Takashi quickly answered.

"Remember to pack your sleepwear along with your study material," Saya told him, her face now expressing joy and excitement.

"Sleepwear?" he asked, confused as to why he would need sleepwear.

"Yes, I invited you to stay over didn't I?"

"Oh yes, you did. Uhmm, yeah. So, tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow, Takashi!" Saya said, raising her hand and waving at him as Takashi made his way to the door. She waited for Takashi to open the door and disappear inside, but before he did he turned around and waved goodbye. He stepped inside and closed the door. Saya stared at the door a little while longer. "Goodnight, Takashi."

* * *

**OoO**

Takashi woke up early on the Saturday morning, giving him plenty of time to prepare for Saya. This time he would make sure not to forget her again. He even set an extra alarm in case he would somehow miss the first. Even though he woke up early, he felt a lot more rested than the night before.

"Let's see. I need to clean my room and throw away the trash. Well, I guess the 'punishment' for being home late could have been worse," he said to himself as he started to organize his room. "I'm glad my dad wasn't home yet, else I probably would have been grounded."

His mother wasn't happy that he came home late without giving any word on where he was or with whom. But after a long stretching talk, Megumi decided to only make him do two small tasks. And he even got permission to stay over at Saya's. Most of this had to do with the fact that Takashi had told her of his and Rei's break-up.

It turned out to be a very emotional talk and Megumi had done her best to be as supportive as she could have been. She was happy to hear that he had spent some time with Saya again. Even though she knew that Yuriko's daughter could be a handful, she knew that Saya would probably be the best medicine for Takashi right now.

As Takashi was clearing his room from random stuff, he heard his phone bleep for a second, indicating that he had received a message. Unplugging it from the charger, Takashi flipped it open. He'd gotten a message from Hisashi. Thinking about deleting it straight away he pondered if he should read it or not. He decided to read it.

_From Hisashi I.:_

_Hey Takashi._

_I know you probably don't want to speak with me right now, but…_

_If possible, I want to be your friend again. Whatever it takes._

_I know this is asking a lot, seeing as to what has happened these last few days._

_You don't have to respond to the message._

_I just want to let you know that if you ever want to talk about it or need help with anything, that you can still call me._

_Again, I'm sorry for how things went. _

_Your friend, Hisashi._

Takashi felt his blood boiling as he read the message. All he wanted to do at that moment was take a good swing as his 'friend'. "How dare he tell me about ever needing his help again! He betrayed me!" He really felt the urge to break something at that moment, he refrained from doing so. It took him less than a second to erase the message. After erasing it, his attention jumped to the next unread message on his screen. This one was from Saya, the one she had sent him yesterday. The one he had forgotten to even notice before doom struck.

_From Saya T.:_

_Hey Takashi, I'm running a bit late! _

_I'm sorry about that, there were some matters that needed my attention._

_I'll be there within 20 min, I promise!_

_Xoxo Saya_

Takashi laughed as he read the message. "Hehe, even after she messaged me she was late I still managed to surpass her." His eyes stopped at the last entry. He started to think back on any earlier messages he had gotten from Saya. As far as he could remember, there were none that ended with 'Hugs and kisses' before. 'She probably meant it as a joke,' he thought as he kept reading that last entry. He pondered the idea of asking Saya about it later, but decided to think nothing of it.

Takashi looked at the time on his phone. "I better get this mess cleaned up fast. I still need to empty the trash as well. I promised Saya I would be on time." The moment he mentioned his promise, he thought of Rei, and his promise with her. He started to feel miserable again, and angry, especially angry. "No, I've got to stop thinking about it. It's not going to help me if I do."

It was close to twelve when Takashi finished his tasks. He had already gathered his study material and his sleepwear. He went downstairs to wait for his pickup. After about ten minutes the doorbell rang and Takashi made his way to the front door. Expecting to see Saya, he was surprised to open the door and meet Shinobu.

"Good morning, Mister Komuro," she said, slightly bowing her head. "Miss Takagi has requested me to come and pick you up."

"Morning," Takashi answered. "I was expecting to see Saya, to be honest. No offense."

"None taken. Miss Takagi wanted to prepare for your arrival. She will be waiting for you at the Tagaki Manor," Shinobu explained.

"Alright, let me get my things," Takashi said as he grabbed his bags that he had already placed in the hallway.

* * *

**OoO**

At the Takagi Manor, Saya was getting ready for her study date with Takashi. At least, that's what her mother called it. Saya was jumping up and down, trying to convince Yuriko she was just going to help him study. Although when Saya accidentally mentioned that she was going to a movie with him later in the evening, her cause was lost. That and the question if Takashi could stay over, which of course was no problem considering that the guest room next to Saya was always empty.

"Usui?" Yuriko summoned.

"Yes, Milady?" Usui answered as he presented himself.

"Could you make sure that the guestroom next to my daughter's is available tonight?"

The request came as a surprise for Usui. "Milady?"

Even Yuriko could understand his confusion. Saya had always been a stalwart antagonist for having someone use the guestroom next to her own. But now that the request came from none other than Saya herself, Yuriko had nothing to object.

"My daughter has a friend staying over tonight and I would like for him to be taken care of as best as possible," Yuriko said with a smile.

"It shall be taken care of," Usui replied, taking a bow and then making his way to the servants' quarters.

Yuriko had full confidence in Usui's ability and therefore turned her attention back to her daughter. Saya had been upstairs in her room, most likely rummaging through her closet again. Making her way up the stairs, Yuriko walked towards Saya's room. She knocked on the door. "Sweetie, may I come in?"

After a short time she opened the door and came in view of her daughter, who was still dressing herself and only wearing panties at the moment. "Mama! Couldn't you at least knock," Saya responded.

"I'm sorry, you didn't respond," Yuriko answered as she watched her antsy daughter. "The guestroom shall be ready in a short while, so you don't have to worry about that."

"And Papa doesn't mind that Takashi is staying over?" Saya asked as she clicked on her bra and proceeded to put on the rest of her clothing.

Yuriko smiled at her as she smoothed her hair with her hand. "You leave your father to me," she said with a slightly devilish grin. "I'm certain that I can persuade him."

Saya didn't want to know how her mother would persuade her father, but she was glad to have her mother on her side. Souichiro Takagi could be a very stubborn man. He was also very strict, especially when his daughter was involved. As the Don of a right-wing political association of Tokonosu, her father had wealth, influence and the respect of a large part of the community. Perhaps it was pride, but it did pressure Saya quite a bit. In turn, Saya didn't want to disappoint her father. Not with her accomplishments at the academy, nor her manners at home or in public.

"Shinobu will return shortly, so you might want to finish dressing. Unless of course you want to welcome Komuro in your current state of dress," Yuriko teased.

Having her mother see her in this state didn't bother Saya. It was her mother, but the idea of Takashi seeing her nearly naked would embarrass her to no end. Her face turned crimson red as she hastily put her clothes on.

"I shall give you some extra time to get dressed," Yuriko said as she turned around and made her way downstairs again.

After a few minutes, Saya was wearing her long black skirt and a slight pinkish, ruffled elbow-sleeved shirt. One of her favorite outfits. "This should be good enough for the movie as well," Saya told herself. She made her way to her bedroom window and looked over the Takagi Estate. She wondered how Takashi would react when seeing her home. He had never been here before.

The moment she wanted to turn around she noticed a car coming up to the gates. Saya pressed herself against the glass to see if she could recognize the vehicle. It was Shinobu's, who had already returned from Takashi's home. Saya quickly made her way out of her room and sprinted downstairs to welcome Takashi.

* * *

**OoO**

The moment the vehicle drove onto the Takagi Estate grounds, Takashi was amazed by the size and beauty of it. He had imagined Saya's home from time to time, but none of those images came close to the real thing. As the car came to a stop in front of the Takagi Manor, Takashi stepped out and viewed the Manor. It was huge and Takashi started to feel very small in comparison.

"Miss Takagi will be waiting for you inside the Manor," Shinobu said as she handed him his study bag. "I'll take the other bag to the guestroom."

Takashi simply nodded as he walked to the front entrance. His eyes were studying the outside of Manor when his attention was suddenly drawn to the individual running through the front door.

"Takashi!" A happy Saya called out as she ran up to him and hugged him by surprise.

"Hey, what's with the special welcome?" Takashi asked as he wondered what inspired Saya to act like this.

Saya released Takashi from her hold and took a few steps back. "What? Do I need a reason to hug someone?" Saya defended.

"No, not really, but… you know… I've never really seen you hug someone on your own before. Well, except that time when we were young and you got scared of that stray dog that started barking at us," Takashi said with a laugh.

"I wasn't scared!" Saya moaned.

"I'm sure you weren't," Takashi replied with a grin.

"Whatever, just come inside and I'll show you around before we start studying."

Saya turned around and walked back into the Manor with Takashi in tow. He gazed in awe as he watched the inside of the Manor. It had marble flooring with blue carpet running through the middle of every room. The big classic ceiling lights and the big wooden beams running from one side to the other gave it an old-fashioned feeling. Large detailed stone pillars were supporting the corridors and the remainder of the room consisted of very fancy woodwork. Every wall had been decorated with various paintings and there were several weapons and armor on display throughout the Manor. "This place is huge," Takashi said while following Saya.

"Well duh, what did you expect?"

"Nothing like this, that's for sure," he answered as they made their way into the large living room.

Yuriko was sitting on the couch sorting some of her business papers. The moment Saya and Takashi walked into the room, Yuriko stood up and walked up to the both of them. "My, my, my, look at how big you've grown. Last I saw you, you were still that little boy that always got himself into trouble," she said with a laugh.

"You remember my mother, don't you, Takashi?" Saya asked.

"Nice to see you, Mrs. Takagi. Cool place you got here. I knew it was nice, but hadn't expected it to be this nice," Takashi said as he tried to be somewhat formal.

"You've never been here before, have you?"

Takashi looked at Saya and then back at Yuriko. "Ah, well…"

"You were afraid, weren't you?"

"Well, that's uhmm…intimidated might be a better word." He looked back and forth between Saya and her mother and felt a bit ashamed that after all these years of having Saya as a friend, he never visited her home before. "Sorry."

Yuriko gave him a warm smile. "Don't be, I'm sure you will be able to make up for it," she said as she winked at her daughter.

It caused a bit of confusion for Takashi, but Saya quickly jumped into the conversation to pull Takashi away and back to the tour. "Uh, there is still more of the house you haven't seen yet and we need to study as well! Let's go, Takashi!" Saya intervened.

"Oh, uhh, right. Thanks for having me," Takashi said as he was being pulled away by Saya.

"My pleasure," Yuriko answered before Takashi was dragged out of the room.

After having shown Takashi the house, Saya lead Takashi to one of her study rooms on the second floor. Every wall of the room was covered with bookcases, containing various types of books. In the center of the room there was a large table with six chairs. Saya's school books and material were already laid out on one side of the table.

'No wonder she has so many knowledge,' Takashi thought as he looked around the room.

"Take a seat, Takashi."

He placed his schoolbag on the table and seated himself in the middle, opposite of where Saya sat. Emptying his bag, Takashi placed it on the ground. He opened his book at the page he had left it earlier this week and started working through content.

It wasn't long after, that Takashi got stuck on a problem. "Uhmm, Saya? Could you help me with this stuff?" he asked.

Getting up from her chair, Saya walked around the table and took a seat left of Takashi. She slid the chair closer to Takashi's in order to get a better look at the pages Takashi was stuck with. Takashi kept stealing glances at Saya as she started explaining the content. He couldn't figure out why he did that and tried to focus his attention on the stuff in front of him.

"I can't believe you don't understand something so simple," Saya lectured.

"I'm sorry. We're not all born geniuses," Takashi countered.

"Even an idiot would understand this," Saya continued.

"Could you stop, please?" he answered, turning his head away as he started to get annoyed.

Saya was slightly taken aback by the act. "I'm only trying to help."

"Yes well, this isn't helping me a whole lot. I don't need you to tell me that I'm an idiot. If this is how we are going to study then I could have just stayed home," he said as he folded his arms together.

She sighed. "Alright, I get it. I'll stop the lecture." She didn't want Takashi to leave because of her and therefore decided to ignore the fact that he would probably have understood all this content if he hadn't spent most of his previous time with Rei.

They continued to study next to each other for the remainder of the afternoon.

* * *

**OoO**

After having spent several hours with Hisashi shopping at the Taiei Shopping Town, Rei wanted to visit Mizore at the maid café she was working at. She got a phone call from Mizore earlier, indicating that the café was looking for an extra maid to help out in the weekend shifts. She had already looked around to see if there were any part-time jobs available, but until now she had little success. That and the fact that she could be picky.

This job however, seemed to interest her. If she was able to get the job then she would be able to wear cute clothes and work with her best friend Mizore. And she had no doubt that Hisashi wouldn't mind seeing her in a maid outfit.

"Hey Hisashi," Rei said as the both of them were closing in on the café.

"Yes?"

"Do you think a maid outfit will look good on me?" she asked in excitement.

Hisashi laughed when Rei asked him the question. Rei, feeling offended, turned to Hisashi. "Why do you laugh at that? You don't think I will look good in it?" Rei said, clearly starting to feel distressed.

"Oh no! That's not how I meant it, Rei," Hisashi quickly replied as he grabbed both her hands. "You look good in everything," he said with a sly smile.

Rei felt bad for thinking the way she did. "I'm sorry for thinking you laughed at me, Hisashi," Rei said as she lowered her head.

"Do you care that much about other's opinions about what you wear?" Hisashi asked.

"No, but I care what you think," she replied with a renewed smile.

Hisashi gave her a kiss as a sign of forgiveness for her rash conclusion. "Don't think so bad of me next time," he said while keeping his hand entwined with Rei's and moving towards their destination again.

They entered the café and were immediately greeted by three maids, one of which was Mizore herself. "Welcome to the Rising Sun, Master," the three said in unison as they bowed deep.

"Please follow me," Mizore requested as she remained in her role.

Hisashi and Rei followed Mizore to a table a bit further away from the other guests. They took a seat and Mizore offered them the menu. As soon as she did, she went in her normal mode.

"So Rei, what do you think of this place? It's cute, isn't it?" Mizore asked quite ecstatic, bouncing in front of Rei.

Hisashi covered his mouth as he did his best not to laugh at the girl's reaction. Rei on the other hand seemed to be just as excited as Mizore was. Instead of having his order taken, Hisashi simply watched his girlfriend and her best friend getting all thrilled about the possibility to work together at this place. He let his eyes examine the café. It was quite colorful and the interior gave it a very relaxing look. Everything was perfectly arranged and there was not a customer that didn't receive attention. He watched several of the other maids at work and started to think how Rei would be able to compete with them. 'Rei will certainly have some competition here,' he thought, turning his attention back to the ladies in front of him.

"So Mizore, do you think Rei will be able to work here?" Hisashi asked, interrupting the giggling duo.

"Oh, uhmm… I'll ask my boss to come herself," Mizore answered, smiling and making her way to the back of the café.

Rei's eyes were already staring at Hisashi's. "So? What do you think? It's great, isn't it?"

"Well, it sure is a sight," he said as he eyed the maid walking by at his left.

"Hey!" Rei responded by smacking his hand that rested on the table. "If you want to glare at maid outfits, then at least wait until I'm wearing one!"

He raised his hands in defense and put up a content smile. "So, either way, I win," he grinned.

Rei wanted to give a response, but before she was able, Mizore returned with her boss. "Rei," Mizore interrupted. "This is Fuyumi, the owner of the café."

Rei raised herself from her seat and introduced herself. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Rei Miyamoto."

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Miyamoto. I hear you were interested in working here," Fuyumi said.

"Yes, I do!" Rei answered quite energetic. "Mizore had told me that you were looking for help."

"That's correct, I do," Fuyumi answered. "As a matter of fact, if you are interested, you may give it a try right away. I'm a bit short handed as it is and if you're willing,"

"Really?" Rei asked as she turned to Hisashi. "Do you mind if I try?"

"I have no problems with sitting here and watching you work," Hisashi said with a grin.

Rei stuck her tongue out to him in response and turned to Fuyumi and Mizore again. "Okay, where do I start?"

"Follow me and I will lead you to our dressing room. I'm sure I have an outfit in your size," Fuyumi answered. She looked at Hisashi and then back at Rei. "I'll make sure your boyfriend is in good hands," she said, giving a nod to Mizore.

As Fuyumi led Rei to the back, Mizore waited patiently for Hisashi to order. "I'm not sure if we'll be done at six o'clock," Mizore said while waiting.

Hisashi faced Mizore and gave her a confident smile. "I'm sure it'll work out just fine. The movie starts at eight, so there is plenty of time. I'm not too worried," he said as he relaxed in his chair. "I'll have a Sencha Green Tea, please."

"Right away, Master," Mizore replied with a wink.

Hisashi leaned further into the chair. "Aahh, I could get used to this."

* * *

**OoO**

Around half past six, Rei and Mizore finished their work and went to the back of the café to use the showers. After the showers, they joined Hisashi again, who was waiting for them near the front exit. He was having a conversation with Fuyumi, who seemed to be very pleased how Rei handled her first day.

"You did very well, Miyamoto," Fuyumi said as Rei and Mizore joined in.

"Thank you for letting me try it, I had a fun time," Rei responded with a big smile.

"I told you, you were going to like it," Mizore said.

"If you want, you can come back on Monday once you have finished school," Fuyumi said as she offered Rei a hand. "I'll make sure that I have everything ready to be filled out. Oh, and as a thank you for today, your boyfriend doesn't need to pay for his bill," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," Rei replied. "That's very kind of you."

Hisashi thanked Fuyumi for allowing him to occupy a table for a long period of time. After the thanks, the three of them said goodbye to Fuyumi and left the café. Hisashi looked at his wristwatch and turned to the girls standing next to him.

"We still have plenty of time left before the movie starts. Shall we go get something to eat?" he suggested.

The girls briefly turned to each other and back at Hisashi. "Yes, please!"

He laughed at the hungry duo in front of him. "Okay then, where do we want to go?"

Mizore stuck her hand up. "We can go to that new sushi place that opened close to the theater," she said.

"That's perfect!" Rei joined in.

"Alright, lead the way," Hisashi said as he stepped sideways.

Rei and Mizore walked past him and he quickly fell in behind. A sudden strong gust of wind blew past them and caused both Rei's and Mizore's skirt to be blown upward. Followed by a series of shrieks by both of them. Though not intently, Hisashi managed to get a glimpse of both Rei's as well as Mizore's underwear. The ladies quickly pulled their skirts back down in embarrassment.

"You didn't see anything did you?" Mizore asked Hisashi, her face as red as a cherry.

"I didn't see anything," Hisashi responded, keeping his face as neutral as possible. 'Well, except the blue thong that is,' he thought to himself.

Rei eyed him suspiciously. "What color of underwear am I wearing?" she asked him, trying to get him to slip up.

Hisashi knew full well what kind and what color underwear Rei was wearing, but anticipated the move. "Uhmm, red?" he answered, knowing the panties she was wearing were white.

Rei wasn't fully convinced, but she had no proof to say otherwise. 'Well, I guess it's not such a big deal. He's going to see them eventually," Rei thought.

"Shall we go on?" Hisashi suggested, trying to avoid another cross-examination.

"Yes, I think we better. If we still want to eat something. And I do! I'm starving!" Mizore replied.

Without much further disturbances, they managed to get to the restaurant and had plenty of time before the movie would start. After they finished eating, they all paid their share of the food and made their way to the theater.

Mizore was walking next to Hisashi and Rei was holding his hand on the other side. As they got closer, the streets became a bit more crowded. Most likely with other people that wanted to go to the movies as well. Rei was in a very happy mood, until she thought to have seen a familiar face among the people in front of them. She had.

"Is that Takashi?" Mizore asked as she too had seen him walk among the others.

"What is he doing here?" Rei wondered out loud.

The moment Hisashi wanted to give a possible answer, they saw the familiar set of pink ponytails of a certain individual known to them. Saya Takagi was with him, and from the looks of it they were getting along just fine. Rei suddenly felt a strange aching feeling in her chest.

"How dare he go out on a date with her!" Rei suddenly yelled, surprising both Hisashi and Mizore in the act.

"Rei, just leave them be. There's no way to say if they are or aren't on a date," Hisashi said as he grabbed Rei and stopped her from stomping towards Takashi.

"Why does it matter if Takashi is on a date with Saya?" Mizore asked.

"Well… it just that…" Rei couldn't find a reason to tell Mizore why she hated the sight in front of her. As she continued to watch Takashi and Saya together, Rei got furious and jerked free from Hisashi grip. She raced towards the couple with Hisashi close in tow.

* * *

_A/N: First of all, I'd like to apologize for the timespan between this chapter and the previous one. I've had a very busy social schedule and my writing hours during the week are getting disturbed by a lot of overtime at work. But enough lame excuses!_

_Thank you __**Belle**__, for your continued support on this story!_

_Also, I'd like to thank all my reviewers and followers for their time and interest in my story!_

_And don't worry, this story will still have plenty of chapters. _


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